Of Two Worlds
by tigerdj98
Summary: It's early November in Haven City, and Jak is bored out of his mind. After a very peculiar dream, Jak is sent on a mission by Torn (Freedom League's Chief of Arms) to investigate a possibly new species of metalhead living somewhere in the Haven Mountains. What Jak finds there is something from fantasy, & his integration with one's specific life he never expects... (M for safety)
1. I'm Bored

**Authors note:**Hi everyone, this is tigerdj98. This is my first story to ever be published, so please be nice if you comment. .Well this is how this story is going to work so you can get the full effect. When you see anything in parenthesis &amp; italics (ex: _italics_), it means there is a song i found fitting for the scene, &amp; usually is put above the paragraph i want you to listen to music to and will be in parenthesis. For example _(Tigre note: Look up "The Hanging Tree" on You Tube)_. So, here we go. Oh yeah, **i only own my OCs, and the general idea of the story, since it's based of after the last Jak and Daxter game, (spoiler alert) &amp; like 20 years after The Legend Of Spyro: Dawn of The Dragon.**

**People who read this when I was Tigre under crai22: Everything is the same, so (when it comes up) skip to chapter 26!**

**Jak's P.O.V.**

"I'm bored out of my mind," I said emotionlessly to my bedroom ceiling. It had been a long time since I had done anything 'amazing' or 'heroic' for a while now. The last thing 'heroic' I've done was defeat Skyheed, &amp; stop the planet's core from malfunctioning. That was in mid-spring, &amp; it is now three days until November. I sit up &amp; begin to think about what happened from then till now.

Alot of things have happened since then. During the summer, Daxter did something that surprised everyone, but I think it surprised Tess the most. On July twentythird, Daxter, being the playboy we all know, proposed in front of everyone to Tess. Nobody ever imagined him ever tieing the knot, heck, not even Tess herself saw it coming. Since then, Daxter &amp; Tess have been thuroughly planning their wedding, being held on the day Daxter had proposed to Tess this coming year. After a few weeks of late night planning, &amp; me finding Daxter face down over plans, Daxter decided to move in with Tess at her appartment over the bar that they owned together. I haven't seen Daxter that much since then. The only time I see Daxter any more is when either Daxter or Tess need me to help get something off of a high shelf, which you would think would be all the time, but you'd be surprised on how little that actually happens.

About a month after that, Keira &amp; I broke up, &amp; I'd rather not think about that right now, but I will tell you a little bit of what happened. We didn't have a huge arguement or anything like that, it's just, well, we both felt the same about our current relationship. It wasn't working, &amp; neither one of us wanted to be the one to say it first. So after a few weeks of awkward silence between each other, Kiera told me to come down to The Naughty Ottsel one night, &amp; after a silent dinner together, she was the one to break it to me. As she ended in tears, I told her that I had felt the same way, &amp; it was just that I didn't want to break her feelings. After that, we smiled at each other, finished eating, &amp; said that we each hoped we would find someone new. We then parted ways, knowing we would still be friends.

The sound of my foor creaking brings me out of my thoughts. I snatch up my gun, &amp; silently run up to my bedroom door. I stand next to it, &amp; slowly steady myself. I whip around the corner, pointing the gun down the hall, prepared to shoot. I don't see anything there, &amp; slowly continue down the hall, my footsteps silent. I reach the apartment's only bathroom door &amp; slowly push it open. I switch on the light &amp; whip open the shower curtain to see no one standing there. I walk back out of the bathroom &amp; continue down the hall.

"**It's just your imagination, you idiot**," says my dark side flatly. I ignore Dark's resonating voice in my head &amp; continue down the hall. As I peak into what used to be Daxter's bedroom, I hear Light's angelic, yet stern voice.

"_Though you are no idiot,I must agree with my dark brother, it is just your imagination, Jak_" my light side says softly.

"I guess you guys are right," I say telepathically to Light &amp; Dark.

I walk into the living room, sit on the couch, &amp; turn on the TV. I lazily flip through the channels, nothing but news reports &amp; other things I don't care about.

"Nothing on," I say to the screen. I then get up &amp; walk over to my home phone suspended from the wall. I dial in Daxter &amp; Tess' number &amp; wait for them to pick up.

"Hey Jak, what's up?" Daxter says. I hear in Daxter's voice that he was doing something actually important before I had called.

"Nothing much, I was just wondering if you guys needed any help with anything, I've nothing better to do here" I say brushing a few strands of my lime-lemon colored hair out of my eyes.

"No, sorry Jak, we don't really need anything right now. Tess &amp; I are planning out the seating arrangements right now, so hey, if you want to do something later, I can come over if you want," Daxter says, hearing the boredom in my voice.

"Alright, guess I'll see you later maybe, bye Dax," I say feeling slightly useless at the moment.

"Bye Jak" Daxter says, hanging up. I put down the phone &amp; walk over to the couch &amp; lay down staring at the blank TV screen. As I drift off to sleep, which is the only thing I seem to do anymore, I think "I wonder if Torn has something I could do for him." When I finally fall asleep, a strange dream comes to me, &amp; it has more to do with my life than I ever thought a dream could have.

**Author's Note:** Okay, sorry that this chapter is slow, but I promise it will get better. If you comment, this is my very first story to be published, so be gentle. tigerdj98 out!


	2. The Dream

**Author's note: **Hi everyone, this is tigerdj98. This is my first story to ever be published, so please be nice if you comment. Remember anything in parentheses &amp; italisized, ex:(_tigerdj98 Note: Look up "The Hanging Tree" on You Tube) _means that in order to get the full feeling of a scene, you must open up another tab &amp; look up whatever it says in the parentheses. Now don't you worry, this chapter won't (hopefully) be as slow as the first one. **Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea **Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, &amp; Spyro character/refernces. So here we go.

Veteran Readers (vets): You know the drill, just skip (when it comes up) to chapter 25.

Jak's P.O.V.

Warmth, I feel it, warmth spreading across my body, encasing my body in it's invisible fingers. I open my eyes to see that I'm flying high above strange tree tops &amp; a golden river. I take a deep breathe in through my nose, smelling the warm, sweet scent of summer. Very fast do these foreign trees zip by, &amp; as I continue to look at them, I notice something strange about these trees. What I notice is that these trees aren't even trees at all, they are gigantic mushrooms! Huge mushrooms with great, round stems &amp; even larger, spotted,light brown tops. Few actual trees dot the landscape.

I swoop down to where I could touch the mushroom tops, &amp; look into the river at my reflection. What I see staring back at me isn't me though. I see a large, reptilian creature with wings. . . . . . . with my skin, eye, &amp; even hair color. This creature's hide is covered with ragged yellow stripes. The underbelly, hand claws, horns, &amp; tail spike were all black. Its wing membrane, however, was light blue, so bright of a blue it reminded me of light eco. On its chin, a small, green &amp; yellow frill-type grew from where my goatee should've been. As I do a small barrel roll in the air, I managed to catch a glimpse of what abnormalities resided on my back. A red &amp; green, frill-like crest ran down my spine, starting at the top of my head, running inbetween my four horns, all the way to where my midnight black tail spike started. From where the ragged, yellow strips originate, I see a single, solid, smooth-edged, medium blue stripe runs from nose to tail spike.

I look up in the direction of what I'm flying towards. I see a mountain range looming in the distance. Though I am travelling very fast, I doubt I would make it to the mountain range in a single day. As I observe the montain, I decide to get a better look at my hands. As soon as I lift my right hand, the first thing I notice is that I still have five fingers, but these fingers are short &amp; stubby, but very muscular. I try to see if my claws are like an ottsel's, &amp; extend my claws. Sure enough, more of my claws show themselves. These wicked, black blades protruding from my finger tips have thousands of tiny, sharp serations. "Man, it would suck getting hit by one of these," I think to myself. I then notice that the underside of each finger, &amp; my palm has a paw-pad like formation on it. Surrounding these pads, &amp; peaking between my fingers is the color of the underside of my hands, which is the same medium blue the stripe on my back was.

I'm interrupted from my curious observations when the sound of other sets of wings flapping reach my none-existant ears, which I'm guessing are only skin covered holes in my head, somewhere near my horns. I look to my left to see another reptilian creature flying next to me. Its pitch black skin, pure white horns, eco green eyes, braided red &amp; blue hair, &amp; what appreared to be silver armer glistening in the summer sun. Its eyes sparkle gently at me, almost lovingly. It smiles at me, its smile very human, &amp; not freaky like what you would think would think coming from a reptile. I then notice just how large this other creature is. The thing is about my height, without the tail. I smile back at it, for some reason sheepishly.

I then turn my head towards the sound of another set of wings flapping, these sounding much larger than the first creature's wings. When I first catch sight of this other creature, at first I think it was the same creature I saw before. On closer inspection, I see that this creature is infact much larger than the first one I saw, but still very similar to it in appearance. Only very few differences are noticeable between the two creatures. This creature is black, has green eyes, &amp; the same number &amp; structure of horns as the first one, but this creature is larger, older appearing, has no hair on its head, &amp; only has armer around a small section of its neck, tail, wrists, &amp; ankles. It looks at me with a motherly glint in its eye, yet a slightly almost annoyed tinge to it.

I hear a third set of wings above me, &amp; I look up to see the pale, dingy colored, yellow underbelly of another winged reptile. It looks down at me, &amp; immediately gives me a gentle smile. This creature's skin &amp; eyes are both purple, its gentle eyes only a few shades brighter than its skin. On its head are only two, angled, orange horns. Between these horns is a orange &amp; yellow crest that from the looks of it continues down its back. This creature is again, larger than the first one, &amp; isn't wearing any armer. I then return my gaze to the first creature that I saw. It looks at me again, &amp; smiles. After a few seconds, it opens its mouth as if to say something, but what comes out isn't even words. A loud, rapid beeping fills the air as the feeling of warmth &amp; this bright shining world begins to deteriorate, fading to a deep black abyss.

I open my eyes, to see that I am lying on my couch. As the fact that all those creatures were just the product of my unconscious mind, I notice that the beeping at the end of my dream is still present. I look over to the coffee table to see something I haven't seen in a long time. My old Underground communicater is going off, meaning I finally have something to do. I look at a message on the communicater to see it's from Torn.

"Hey Jak, I need you to come down to the Freedom League HQ asap. This is important, so hurry up" the message reads. I quickly get up, grab my still loaded morph gun, &amp; head out the door, ready &amp; happy to do anything.

**Author's Note:** Whew, so that was fun. I think this chapter definately turned out better than the first one. Tell me what you guys think, cause I'm open to anything (except for really cruel critisism). Well, please review, &amp; btw, you don't need a account to comment if you didn't know that already. Well,unil next time. tigerdj98 out!


	3. Torn's Mission

Author's notes:

**Newbies: **Just remember the instructions for music in the first two chapters.

**Vets:** Like I said, just skip to (when it comes up) chapter 26.

**Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea

**Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/refernces, &amp; music links used in future chapters. So here we go.

Jak's P.O.V.

As I walk out my apartment door, I begin to wonder what Torn wants me to do.

"**Hopefully it's something I can fight, I ****_NEED_**** to rip something's organs out painfully... for them. I've been stuck like this for far ****too**** long**" I hear Dark's voice saying then darkly laughing in the back of my mind.

"_Oh, you twisted imbicile, don't you know that if you go killing innocents, their families will do the same to Jak?_" Light's annoyed voice argues with my dark eco counterpart.

"**I didn't say 'someone', idiot. I said 'something.**" Dark retorts.

"Guys, I'd hate to break up your conversation here, but SHUT UP." I yell annoyed mentally.

I get on my zoomer, &amp; head to the Freedom League HQ, which happens to be where the Underground HQ used to be. As I go down the familiar streets, I think about the dream I had before Torn's message woke me. After I had woken up, I had gotten a strange feeling about the dream &amp; what the mission from Torn might be. Not a funny as in 'ha ha' feeling about it, a strange, forshadowing feeling.

As I approach the old hideout, that strange feeling comes back, but stronger than it had before.

"Do you know why I'm feeling like this over a dream, Light?" I ask my light eco personna.

"_I'm afraid I do not know that myself, Jak_" Light answers, just as concerned as I am. I can't blame him, though. He did have the same dream as I did, &amp; so did Dark.

"What do you think, Dark?" I inquire.

"**Dude, if Light doesn't know, how do you expect me to know? I've got the same feeling over it as you do, &amp; even though he won't admit it, so does Light**" Dark answers, not very comfortingly.

"Well, that didn't help" I say aloud to the rushing wind.

I pull up next to the automatic doors guarding the interior to the Freedom League HQ &amp; get off my prize zoomer. When I reach the automatic doors, I see that the old Underground symbol is still there. I type in the old Underground code, not sure if it was still the same as it had been all those years ago. Sure enough, the old code works, the doors pull open, &amp; I begin to walk down the newly improved hall down to the meeting table. Torn looks up at me from two other Freedom League officers, &amp; gets a relieved look on his face. Two other Freedom League officers that had been sitting in chairs opposite of Torn look at me, immediately stand up &amp; salute me.

"At ease, soldiers." I say to them as I salute back to them.

"Commander Jak, please sit down" Torn says sternly, but kindly all the same.

"Torn, for the twentieth time, don't call me that. It's just Jak, not Sir, not Commander, &amp; deffinately not Commander Jak" I say to Torn just as sternly.

Torn gives me a cocky grin, which switches to a slightly confused look to his face, then says"Where is Daxter?"

I give him a disbelieving look &amp; say "Torn, he _is _getting married this coming summer."

Torn, giving an understanding look, nods his head knowingly "Oh yeah, that's right. Not used to seeing you without him, thats all."

As I sit in the chair Torn had motioned me to, I ask "So Torn, what do you need me for?"

Torn sits down in his chair &amp; says "I need you to go into the forest &amp; see if you can't take a picture, or find any other evidence, of a creature that Carl &amp; Luke here saw."

I turn over to Carl &amp; Luke, look at them expectantly &amp; wave my hand in a small circle motioning one of them to start talking "Well, what did you see" I say impatiently.

"Um, well Carl &amp; I were walking in Haven forest 3 days, 7 hours, &amp; 2 minutes ago whe caught a glimpse of a large creature. It was definately over 6 ft long from the tip of it's nose to the hips. It looked reptilian almost, but it had large, blood red membraned wings,... &amp; what looked like a few large horns. Oh yeah, it was also black with a dark red underbelly" Luke says trying to contain his nerves.

"It was flying over you, you said" I ask curious at what exactly this creature could be.

"Yeah, it was flying really fast towards the mountain pass" Carl says before Luke could answer me.

I lean forward, elbows on my knees "Go on," I say fully intrigued.

Carl &amp; Luke look at each other, making faces &amp; nodding their heads, trying to get the other to speak. Finally, Carl starts up.

"2 days, 12 hours, &amp; 5 minutes ago we had a situation where we saw a creature that resembled the first creature, but smaller. We were walking through the mountain pass when we heard the sound of metalheads fighting. When we saw what was fighting the metalheads, we at first thought it was a woman until we saw the wings, tail, &amp; watched it rip a metalheads' spine out by its head. It continued to fight... actually, more like massacre, the metalheads until they stopped attacking the unidentified creature &amp; retreated. The creature then looked up at us with a surprised look, grabbed two metalhead corpses, &amp; took off, running on it's hind legs at first then flying towards the top of the mountain" he finishes.

"What did the creature look like" I ask, surprised by this creature's strength, twitching my head to the side unconciously.

"Well," Carl began, " It was jet black, like the first unidentified creature, about your height without its tail, two white horns that we could see, a blood red underbelly, &amp; had long hair that was blue at the roots &amp; faded to a vibrant red after about an inch or so. It also appeared to be wearing what looked like a steel bra &amp; skirt."

I lean back into my seat, letting the information sink in. All of a sudden, the dream I had invades my current thoughts.

"What do you think, Jak? Are you up for this mission," Torn asks me, standing, his arms crossed.

"Yeah, I can handle it. I'm going to need a camera though," I say with a confident smile on my face.

"Well, I can get you that. You should bring a gun with you just in case, though. I don't want you getting killed out there," Torn says with a barely detectable hint of actual worry.

"Why would I go confront this thing without a gun? This thing can rip out a metalhead's spine with its claws for Precursor's sake!" I say while giving Torn a disbelieving chuckle.

"True," Torn says with a fake scowl.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Torn asks, with a smirk.

"I need the camera," I say. Torn leaves the room, &amp; quickly returns with the camera, tossing it to me. I catch it while thanking Torn, &amp; begin walking out the door. As I exit, I hear Carl say something to Torn.

"Are you really going to let him do this?" Carl says.

Torn gives a single, rough, chuckle "I trust him, he's the best we've got. He's the person who took out the metalhead leader, Kor" Torn says. I hop on my zoomer &amp; head to the Naughty Ottsel to see if Daxter wants to come, though I doubt he will.

**Author's Note: **Well, that took forever to type! Please comment, but nothing mean. Remember, you don't need an account in order to comment, in case you didn't know. Hoped you like it, tigerdj98 out!


	4. Into the Forest

Author's note:

**Newbies: **You know the drill, so read on!

**Vets: **This is the last time I'm going to say it, so here it is. No new content, just a better structure, so go on to (when it gets here) chapter 26!

**Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea **Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/references, &amp; musical links. So here we go.

Jak's P.O.V.

I park my cobalt blue, specialy customized, extra strength armored zoomer outside the Naughty Ottsel. After getting off my pride &amp; joy in Haven City, I walk to the Naughty Ottsel's grimy, weather-beaten front door. I knock three times on the door, &amp; press the buzzer next to the door twice to let Daxter know it is me. I hear the door unlock as it hums to life. As the door opens, I see Daxter sitting at the counter with a pile of paperwork to his right, &amp; the days finished work to his left. I slowly walk in, trying to not seem as if I have to be anywhere in a hurry.

"Hey Dax, what's up?" I ask once I reach the counter.

"Oh, just doing alot of brain-torchering calculations, finding out just what things can be left out, stuff like that," Daxter says distractedly. I look down at the paper work to see hundreds of additions, many of which were either crossed or scribbled out.

"Geez, that is way too much for one person to do by themself, where is Tess?" I think to myself after realizing just how much paperwork he had already done, &amp; still has to do.

"Well, I have a proposition for you. Do you want to have a break from all this paperwork &amp; do something exciting?" I ask, seeing just how stressed Daxter was.

"What do you mean by 'exciting,' Jak?" Daxter asks while looking up sarcastically, but still obviously curious at what I had to say.

"Well," I started off, "these guys at work, Carl &amp; Luke, saw two unidentified creatures near or heading towards the Haven City Mountain pass, &amp; Torn wanted me to go on a recon mission to see if I could snap a few pictures of them. It wouldn't be the same if you didn't come, plus, it'll get you away from all that paperwork for about 3 hours, so what do you say, Dax? Are you going to come with me, for old times' sake?" I say, trying to make the mission sound the least dangerous as humanly possible.

Daxter stops writing to look up at me, weighing the options &amp; the conciquences in his head visible upon his small, furry face.

"Sorry man, I can't. Tess is out shopping, &amp; you know I would have to clear this with her face to face first, or else I would go. I also have to get this done, &amp; you know it would be better to do this now instead of a month before the wedding," Daxter says, a truely genuine upset expression on his face.

"Oh, that's alright Dax, I had a feeling asking this was kind of pointless before I came in here" I say putting on a small half-smile, slightly disspirited.

Daxter gives me an understanding face, then says "Jak, I truelly am sorry, it's just that I have alot more responsibilities now then I did before, or else I would go with you" he apologizing with a sad tone to his voice.

"Dax, I mean it, it's alright. I understand what you are going through, &amp; I know you have alot to do, man, so don't feel bad" I say while getting up from my seat next to Daxter &amp; walking to the door, "See you later, Dax."

"See you later Jak" I hear Daxter say behind me as the door closes.

I get back on my zoomer &amp; start heading to the Haven City Mountain lock. When I get there, I park my zoomer directly infront of the lock &amp; jump off. I wait for less then a second infront of the door when it opens. I walk inside the small transition room, &amp; wait infront of the door to the mountain pass. When the door opens, I walk into the silent mountain pass &amp; take a breathe of somewhat clean air. I take out my communicator &amp; bring up the parol map that Carl &amp; Luke had taken when they had seen the second unidentified creature.

I start on the path, taking the left to get to the eco-powered elevator that the Precursors had built all that time ago.

"Wait, was it the Precursors or me that built this elevator?" I question mentally.

"_It was the Precursors, Jak_," Light says in the back of my mind.

"Okay good, because I have no idea how to do any of this" I reply to Light.

"**You will in time, Jak**" Dark says, surprisingly sagely.

"Since when did you decide to start giving me useful advice?" I ask Dark sarcastically while taking a right into a small path where I remember fighting shielded metalheads.

"**Since just now, idiot**" Dark says just as sarcastically as I had in his deep, echoing version of my voice. I smile &amp; shake my head while taking a turn onto an overgrown path that I hadn't noticed when I was fighting Baron Praxis. As I continue down the path, the trees to my right begin to get so dense that I couldn't possibly run through them, even if I had to. To my right, a large cliff with sharp, jagged chunks of rock jutting out keeps me from being able to get too close. After a few minutes of walking, I begin to get the feeling that something is going to ambush me, so I take out my morph gun &amp; switch to the Vulcan Fury mod just incase any cocky metalhead decides to try its luck at taking me down. I look down at the map to see that I am already almost at the location where the second mysterious creature was spotted by Carl &amp; Luke.

I hear a branch breaking ahead of me &amp; snap my head up, already aiming my gun. I see nothing, &amp; continue to very slowly walk forward, looking over my shoulder every few steps. After sketchily creeping around a bend, I see a small clearing that looked like a resting area with low set branches, the trees surrounding the area except for a small area occupied by the side of the cliff, a large boulder that had fallen from the cliff a long time ago from the looks of the stone, &amp; a rotting tree trunk that was rather recently felled, possibly only a few weeks ago. I continue carefully down the path, looking at the branches above my head just incase any metalheads were resting in the tree branches above me. On a branch directly above the path, I notice a strange, almost shifting shadow seemingly resting on the branch. I stare at it for a few moments, having the strange feeling that the shadow is staring right back at me. After a few more seconds of watching the seething shadow, I shake the strange feeling from my head &amp; continue down the path. Less then three seconds after passing under the branch, I hear a quick, low growl, but long like a regretted sigh of relief come eminate from behind me. I whip around &amp; see glittering, cat-like pupiled, green eyes staring at me from the branch that I had just passed under. I then notice the rest of the creature, &amp; realize that this was the creature that Carl &amp; Luke had seen in the forest. The creature that had ripped out a metalhead's spine by its skull.

"Oh crap" Dark, Light, &amp; I all say at once.

**Author's note**: Dun, dun duuunnnn! What do you guys think of that? Pretty shnazzy der, ey?


	5. Meldalvyna

**Author's note: **

**All:** Do I really need to say it?

**Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea (since it's based after Jak and Daxter The Lost Frontier) **Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/refernces, &amp; links to music.

Unknown POV

"Love," my mother called from the living room of our house, "come here please!"

"_What does she want?_" I think to myself as I thunder down the old rotting stairs that lead from the top floor, me &amp; my double stepuncle the only ones who could use the upstairs room without having to worry about falling through the floor.

"Yes, mom?" I say once I catch sight of her, her black scales glistening in the sparse light coming in from the living room's only window.

"It is time for your turn to go metalhead hunting you know, right? " she said, her green eyes glittering with annoyance &amp; grinning with playful mockery at how I had forgotten, again.

"Oh, sorry mom, I was watching the birds that had roosted outside my window," I reply quickly &amp; truelly.

"Uh huh," my mother says, her playful smile now spreading across her arrow-head shaped face to her eyes.

"Mom, I'm telling you the truth, I showed the nest to you yesterday!" I say, a little annoyed.

"Cynder, stop teasing your daughter," I hear my stepdad call from a different room in our crumbling house.

"Aw, Spyro, must you always ruin my fun?" she says back, her smile now in her voice.

"You know mom, Spyro has a point when he says that its hard to tell what your true emotion is from your face sometimes, I confused that smile of yours for a grimace," I say with a smile on my face now, too.

"Well, shouldn't you have known from the scent?" my mother says smiling, "And I know Spyro isn't your true father, but would it kill you to call him 'dad' once in a while?It hurts his heart that you don't even call him that" she says, the smile falling off her face.

"Sorry, it's just... it's just... never mind. What was it that you wanted?" I say, trying to figure out a way to say 'Well, because he isn't my **dad**' without dissappointing my mother, sounding like a little girl, &amp; sounding like a spoiled brat, which I'm not.

"I just wanted you to go outside &amp; do something, you've been sitting in your room all day" she says, a half-smile on her lips "explore or something, just go outside."

"Can I go into the city?!" I ask excitedly, since I barely get to go into the city.

"Meldalvyna," she starts, "you know you aren't allowed in the city unless we need you to go get building supplies for our house. And unless you want to go in to get a job where you never have to show your face to the humans, then I suggest you go right ahead" she finishes, trying to convince me not to go.

"Mom, the last time you went into the city was twenty years ago, &amp; the last time I had to go get supplies, the city had changed from what it was in your &amp; Spy- I mean dad's, description. The closest to a K.G I've seen in the city would be a Freedom League officer" I complain.

"Meldalvyna, you **cannot **go into Haven City, &amp; I don't care at how much it has changed, you will not go into that city without my permission!" my mother yells, making her point.

"Fine I won't go into the city," I say quietly, defeated.I walk outside, trying to decide what to do now that I'm outdoors.

"Well, it's too cold to swim, I can't draw or paint since my stuff is in the house,...hmph" I think to myself. Suddenly it hits me, cliff-diving! I take off into the air, heading towards my favorite cliff in Haven City Forest. I land on my hind legs, run to the edge of the the cliff, &amp; leap into the air out into the air. As I plummet, I close my eyes, feeling the air rushing through my braided red &amp; blue hair, one of the traits from my human father, may he, whoever he was, rest in peace. I open my eyes, &amp; bring my concentration back to my fall, here comes the hard part. I rocket through the tree branches, avoiding the thick, sturdy ones. Just before I come face to face with the ground, I level out, arcing gracefully back into a flight instead of a fall.

I fly towards my favorite resting branch to let the adrenaline rush slow down. I land on the trunk of the tree, digging my seraded claws into the bark of the tree. A second after I land, I hear human footsteps creeping through the forest. I crawl up onto the branch as fast as possible, not paying attention to the smaller branches on the tree. I reach my branch, start to lay down, then SNAP!, a thicker twig sticking off the side of the branch breaks under my foot. I hear the foot steps stop, then after a few seconds they start up again slower than before, &amp; closer to the cliff side than before, but still heading my way. I use my Shadow ability, an Elemental power I got from my mother, to blend in with the shadows. A few seconds later, I see a human man with short blonde hair with lime green roots emerge from the forest. He looks up at the branch I'm in, &amp; stares confusedly at me with his ocean blue eyes. As he stares, besides the pouding in my ear holes, I take notice that he is wearing a blue Freedom League uniform. The man shakes his head, &amp; passes the underneath me. I give off a sigh of relief, then immediately regret it. The sigh had come out as a rather loud growl. Out of surprise, I let my Shadow ability slip, &amp; the man is now staring at me with a face of surprise &amp; horror. My eyes go to slits as I realize I have been spotted.

I think to myself "Oh crap, might as well scare him away. Too bad, he's kinda cute, oh well."

**Author's note: **Hey everyone, what do you think of the story now that I have added in my OC Meldalvyna (pronounced mel-dal-vee-na)? Tell me what you think, or if you have any questions, I will answer them. In case you were wondering about Meldalyna, she **is** a hybrid between the humans (Jak, Torn, Kiera, etc.) &amp; the dragons (Cynder, Spyro, etc.), &amp; how she came to be (you know what I mean) will be mentioned later (maybe, but more than likely it will). So, if you want further descriptions of characters or scenes, etc., leave them in the reviews, &amp; I will try to get to you. Well, until next time, tigerdj98 out!


	6. The Creature

**Author's note: **

Eh, nothing to say this time...

**Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea. **Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/refernces, &amp; music links. So here we go.

Jak's POV

The creature's round, oddly human shaped green cat pupiled eyes stare into my own with a look of surprise, but the expression doesn't last for very long. As soon as it realizes it has been spotted, the creature stands perfectly balanced on the branch slightly above my head, but still infront of me, giving me a full view of the frightening animal. As it stands, it's rainbow red-at-the-ends &amp; blue-at-the-roots hair swings down from it's position hidden on it's back in a thick braid held together by a metal bangle. Once it is fully standing, I notice what Carl &amp; Luke described as the metal bra &amp; skirt, chain mail in areas of movement while solid peaces the areas that doesn't move much. Not only that I notice, but I also see the highly contrasting, blood red underbelly of the beast. Then to my horror, the creature turns towards the trunk of the tree &amp; begins walking down the trunk head first, digging its razor sharp claws into the wood, all the while staring me down with an intent look.

Once the creature reaches the bottom of the tree, it steps onto the grassy ground at the base of the trunk, heading straight towards me slowly &amp; menacingly. As it nears my person, I get a regrettably closer look at the strange creature's markings. I notice on it's shoulders &amp; forehead are dark blue, almost black groups of scales in the shapes of triangles &amp; diamonds of various sizes. Under each of the creature's eyes are three greyish- light blue spaces underlining the eyelids. As the creature approaches, its black scales, green eyes, red hair, metal clothing, &amp; what I now count as four horns atop its head sparkle in the sparse sunlight penatrating the dense tree canopy above as it stalks closer. Soon, the creature gets too close for comfort, &amp; I begin to back away slowly, knowing that if I turn tail &amp; run, this will make me its prey for sure.

Not looking where I'm going, I trip over a root behind me &amp; fall against the the hard ground, &amp; begin to scoot backwards as fast as possible from the ever approaching creature, dropping my gear bag &amp; morph gun in the process. Soon, I feel my back hit the only bolder in the whole clearing, the creature notices this, but continues to come closer.

"So this is how I'm going to die," I think to myself.

"_I don't know why I thought of this, but I feel that this creature's intention is to only scare us away, not harm us_" I hear Light say thoughtfully.

"**Sure, maybe the creature is going to invite us to dinner**" Dark says sarcastically. I look up into the animal's eyes to see that my nose is less than an inch away from the end of the creature's snarling snout.

I turn my head to the side &amp; close my eyes, waiting for the death blow. Instead of the life-ending bite that I was expecting, I hear the creature's growling stop. The sound of it sniffing my throat replaces its growling. I feel each of the creature's breaths, each inhale, every exhale. After a few uneasy &amp; strangly silent seconds, the creature pulls away, still not growling, &amp; instead gives off a small grunt. It backs away slowly, watching me as it goes, &amp; sits down a few feet away from me across the tiny clearing, still staring me down, but the intent look in its eyes has vanished. Instead, there is a look of tense curiosity, as if it is waiting for something.

After a few minutes of staring eachother down, I notice out of the corner of my eye that my bag is next to me, &amp; I can see both the gun &amp; the camera near the opening. I look back &amp; forth between the creature &amp; my bag as I inch my hand towards the camera. It realizes what I'm doing, it begins to snarl &amp; growl again, &amp; I whip my head up, to see if it has stood up, which it hasn't. I quickly pull my hand away from the bag, &amp; as soon as I do, the creature stops growling. I reach towards the bag again, this time watching the creature, &amp; just like before, it begins to growl, this time arching it's head lower. I retract my hand from the bag &amp; try again three more times, just to see what it will do.

"Light, I think you're right, but I don't think I should move just yet," I think.

"**Yet again, glow boy could be correct, because if he wasn't, we'd be dead by now**" I hear Dark say calmly.

Meldalvyna's POV

A tense calm overtakes the forrest as I sit across from the man who I could tell from his uniform &amp; scent that he was part of the Freedom League. The smell of strained fear still hangs in the air that had eminated from the mystery man just a few seconds earlier. A few minutes later, I see the man's ocean blue eyes drift over to his bag, then back to me. He then slowly begins reaching towards his bag, bouncing his glance between me &amp; his bag.

"_Oh crap, does he have a gun? What am I kidding, he probably does!_" I think to myself, worried, but not letting it show on my face. I begin to growl &amp; snarl, hoping it will stop the man, which to my relief he human then decides to do it again.

Like before, he begins reaching towards his bag, this time watching me the whole time. I growl at him again, this time lowering my head to look more menacing. It seems to do the trick, until he does it again, &amp; again, &amp; one more time just for the heck of it, it seems. After a few minutes the man finally stops, we sit staring at each other, for hours. Every once in a while the man adjusts himself, watching me all the way. As the long minutes pass by, I begin to get nervous.

"_Why isn't he leaving? I've got to go home sometime, it's getting dark_" I think to myself worriedly. I look up into the setting sun, wondering wether or not the man is going to leave, then it hits me, he's waiting for me to leave so he that can leave too. I look back at the man &amp; I see that he was watching me. I stare back at him with a worried look spread across my face, but remain sitting for a little while longer.

The man gives me a curious look. His eyes then slide down to his left wrist, on which was what I believe the humans call a watch. A worried look spreads across his slender, but still nicely wide face. His long ears twitch with annoyance at what he sees on his wrist device. I cautiously stand up, trying not to make a noise, but the man notices anyways. The man gets another worried look once he sees me standing. I give him a look &amp; spread my wings, which only panics the man even more. I leap into the air &amp; take off, leaving the man to his own devices, &amp; head for home. As I fly, I wonder if the man will be there again tomorrow.

Jak's POV

I whip my head up to the sound of the creature standing up, &amp; once I do, the thing looks at me &amp; spreads its gigantic wings. The spine of each wing is black while the membrane inbetween is the same blood red as the creature's underbelly. I then notice that at the tip &amp; main joint of each wing is a sharp, blade like spine sticking off the wing a good inch or two. The creature leaps into the air, &amp; at the peak of its jump, the animal powerfully flaps its wings &amp; flies towards the top of Haven City Mountain. I sit &amp; watch it fly gracefully for a few seconds &amp; stand up, grabbing my bag &amp; morph gun, &amp; start heading for the lock. Once I reach the lock, I begin to wonder if the mystery creature will be there tomorrow. I get out, hop on my zoomer, &amp; head to the Freedom League HQ. When I finally reach the door, I then realize I forgot something.

"I forgot to take its picture" I think to myself as I enter the main conference room &amp; Torn is looking at me.

"How'd the mission go, Jak?" Torn asks, "Did you get the mystery animal's mugshot?"

**Author's note: **I hope you guys liked the chapter. Other than that, if the readers would like more information, suggestions, etc., say so in the reviews, tigerdj98 out.


	7. Drawings & Embarassment

**Author's note: **

As usual: **Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea.**Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/refernces, &amp; music links.

Jak's POV

"Well," Torn said, "did you a picture of it?"

I frown at him &amp; sigh "No, I didn't, but I did come into contact wi-"

"What?" Torn interrupts clearly agitated with my answer, " You were out there for three hours, you came into contact with it for precursors know how long, &amp; you don't get a picture of the thing?!" he finishes panting from how loud he yelled.

"I didn't get a picture of it, because it was sitting across from me in a tiny clearing, watching my every move," I shout back, "&amp; every time I reached my hand towards my bag to get the camera, it would start growling at me." I finish, my voice also hoarse from yelling &amp; the lack of water for three hours on this hot day.

"But," I continue, "I could draw it from how long I was watching it, just as it was watching me." Torn raises an eyebrow, questioning my probably bizarre sounding suggestion like it was some sort of joke.

Not many people knew that I did, but when I was younger, &amp; had nothing else to do, I would take out a pencil, scrap paper, &amp; go draw whatever I found interesting at the moment. The only people that actually know that are Keira, Samos, &amp; or course Daxter, who would watch me draw for hours on end, picking out new things for me to draw. I walk over to the mission briefing table, sit down grab a pencil, &amp; manage to grab the only piece of blank paper on the desk. I begin drawing the creature's slender, oddly attractive face, wavy red &amp; blue hair, extremely dark blue forehead spots, light blue eyelid spots, piercingly white horns, &amp; it's sparkling green eyes. I then move to the creature's lower half, drawing its long neck, steel clothing, powerful wings, spiked tail, &amp; all its other spikes &amp; blades. I look up to see Torn standing over me, a look of amazement on his tattooed face.

"I'm a little rusty, I haven't drawn in years, sorry if it is kind of messy" I say with an embarassed smile.

"What are you talking about, that is amazing" Torn says, his expression seeping into his rough voice, making it soft.

"Odd thing though, it almost looks human, I mean if you were to cover up the horns, wings, &amp; tail, it would be hard to tell if it was another woman squatting on the ground or some strange creature like it is" he says thoughtfully, speaking what I had thought while I was drawing the creature.

"Yeah," I say with a sigh, a little of my self criticism that all 'artists' get when talking about their own work in my voice. I notice a mistake in the drawing, &amp; quickly fix it, Torn still watching me.

"I wonder if it's going to be in that area again tomorrow" I think outloud.

"What?" Torn says, who had started working on a paper that had been on the desk.

"I said I wonder if the creature is going to be there again tomorrow" I repeat while beginning to draw in the background.

"Why," he asks, looking up from his work with a curious look played across his face, "Why not just show Carl &amp; Luke the drawing &amp; ask them if that was what they saw?"

I look up from my drawing, having finished drawing in the shapes of the plants behind the creature.

"Well, I was thinking of trying to get a picture of it, &amp; if I can't, maybe I can draw it while it's sitting across from me" I say thoughtfully, "but I guess we can show them this &amp; ask if this is what they saw, just let me finish the picture." While Torn calls the two, I finish up the picture by shading in all of the trees, grasses, &amp; leaves in the drawing. Carl &amp; Luke walk in, &amp; nervously stand on near the door, both switching their weight from foot to foot.

**Meldalvyna's P.O.V**

I fly up to the front door of my family &amp; I's crumbling house, open the door, &amp; walk into my mother, who was on the other side of the door about to come out.

"Oh, there you are Mel," my mother says with a relieved smile. Her smile then quickly fades to a small frown, "Where were you, &amp; why do I smell a human on you?" she finishes with a light growl.

"I went cliff diving, &amp; when I rested on my favorite branch, I heard footsteps coming down the path. I hid on the branch using my Shadow Element, &amp; that's when I saw it was a cu.. uh.. male human walking through the forest after hearing a branch snap under my foot. Anyways, I stood hidden until he passed underneath me, which was when I let my Shadow go &amp; I accidently growled a sigh" I pause taking a breath from talking so fast &amp; almost calling the human cute.

"Go on," my mother says as Spyro walks into the room.

"Oh, there she is, I was about to come looking for you Mel, wait, why do I smell human?" my-step father says.

"She was just telling me that," my mother says, not even looking at Spyro.

"Well," I continue, "the human heard the growl, &amp; looked up at me, &amp; that was when I decided to scare away the human. So, I climbed down the tree head first, watching him all the way, &amp; pinned him against a bolder on the other side of the trail without touching him, moved my head as if I were to bite him &amp; instead I sniffed him, thus the human scent on me, &amp; backed off. But instead of running away, he just sat there &amp; stared at me, &amp; I did the same, but at one point, he did try to reach towards a bag he had, but I stopped him each time. I only just got away from him when I realized he was waiting for me to leave first," I finish breathless.

"Well then, is that all Meldalvyna?" my mother asks, still not quite believing me, the scent of mistrust wafting from her scales.

"Cynder, she's telling the truth, you can smell that much," Spyro says from the back of the room. It was true too, dragons can smell any emotion, including truth &amp; untruth.

"Alright, get ready for dinner, Meldalvyna, Spyro cooked metalhead roast for dinner, you're Haven City favorite," she says, trying to smooth things over.

"Yick, metalhead again?" I hear Sparx shout while coming down from his upstairs bedroom, which wasn't more than a built in shoe shelf with a door on it.

"Can't we have a fruit salad or something BESIDES metalhead?" he says while floating down the stairs.

"We don't have any fruit TO make a salad, Sparx, &amp; I already finished cooking the metalhead" Spyro says slightly irritated at Sparx.

"Okay, I'll be back in a second" I say while running up stairs to wash my face &amp; paw-hand-things in Sparx &amp; I's water basin upstairs. Ten minutes later, I'm sitting in my seat, devouring my portion of roasted metalhead thinking about the human I had seen earlier that day.

"So," my mother says after swallowing a chunk of her roast, "what did this male human look like?" she says, curiosity in her eyes &amp; scent.

"Well," I say before swallowing, "he had the most peculiar hair, it was yellow &amp; green, with the green near the roots like my hair, the bluest eyes I've ever seen, he was pretty muscular too, but still thin, long ears like the rest of the humans,... oh, &amp; he must have a pretty high position in the Freedom League due to the uniform he was wearing" I finish while taking another bite out of my metalroast.

My mother &amp; step-father look at each other with a knowing smile while Sparx just shakes his head while smiling.

"What," I ask suspiciously from the scent I got from them.

"Oh nothing, but it sounds like you like this human," my mother says with a sly smile while Sparx nudges me with his little dragonfly elbow &amp; raising his eyebrows.

"What!" I shout, nearly choking on my water I had been drinking, "I do NOT,did it slip your mind that I sat across from him for three whole hours, watching him to make sure he didn't try to put a gun to my head?" I yell.

"Mel, we were just messing with you... even though you ARE just beneath half human genetically," Sparx says suggestively. I give him a look that could melt the thickest &amp; strongest dragon-made metal, &amp; stand up.

"I'm going to bed," I say huphing while stomping up the stairs.

**Author's note: **Well, that went... urhm... well (for lack of a better word). Anyways, as always, if you guys have questions, want more info, etc, just say so in a review. Anyways, hope you readers liked this chapter, tigerdj98 out.


	8. Informing the Boys & Apologies

Author's note:

**Newbies:** So here we are, you know my OC's appearance, her parents, &amp; I bet you can tell where this is going!

As usual: **Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea. **Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/refernces, &amp; music links.

Jak's POV

"Take a seat, boys," Torn says to the two standing in the doorway. As Carl &amp; Luke walk towards the available chairs across from him, Torn motions me to sit down next to him.

"What is it, Sir?" Carl &amp; Luke both ask simultaniously while nerviously fidgiting in their seats.

"Jak," Torn says, giving the next sentence to me.

"I know it's not a picture, but this is as close I have to an actual photograph of the creature you possibly saw in Haven City Mountain Pass," I say to Carl &amp; Luke while sliding the drawing over to them. As soon as they look at the page, their eyes get huge with either fear or amazement.

"Yeah, this is it! This is the creature we saw!" Carl says with an enthusiastic, yet slightly fearful tone.

"Did you draw this, Comman- I mean Jak?" Luke asks, looking at me with a face full of generous curiosity.

"Uh,... yeah," I reply sheepishly.

"Don't feel embarassed, Sir. I feel as if the creature was literally sitting across from me," He replies with a smile on his face.

"But I do have one question though," he continues with a curious tone, "do you mind if I ask?" I shake my head, saying that it was alright to ask.

"How did you get such great detail," Luke asks, Carl nodding his head, obviously also wanting to know the answer.

"I guess we ran into each other unexpectedly, &amp; I just ended up sitting across from it for two hours straight, that's how," I say with an unsure sounding tone.

"For two hours?" Carl &amp; Luke ask, disbelieving horror in their voice.

"Yes, for **two** hours, probably a bit more than that," I reply slightly annoyed. Their faces gain a thoughtful look, &amp; after a second or two, I grab the drawing &amp; stand up.

"I'm gonna go on home to prepare for tomorrow's mission, I expect it's the same as today's?" I say while heading towards the door, Torn watching me all the way.

"Wha... oh, yes, same as today's mission, see you sometime tomorrow," Torn says, surprised &amp; mentally disoriented by my sudden actions. I quickly nod &amp; shout a thanks to Torn as I head out the Freedom League HQ's door. I get on my zoomer &amp; head to my apartment, thinking about my reoccuring thoughts about my dream that constantly interrupted my conversations about the creature. I finally reach my apartment, walk over to my home phone, &amp; punch in Daxter's number.

"Hey Dax, it's Jak, I saw the creature during the mission I went on today," I say after he said hello.

"You did?!" Daxter nearly screams in my ear, still deafening me for a few seconds.

"Yeah," I say after the ringing goes away, "It cornered me in the forest, backed off, then stared at me for two hours straight before leaving."

"Woah, that must have been freaky," Daxter says on the other side of the line. I hear Tess' voice yell for Daxter, &amp; Daxter shouting back, saying that he was on the phone.

"Sorry man, I gotta go," he says, hanging up as soon as he ends the sentence. I put the phone back on its place on the wall, go into my room, change into my night clothes, &amp; lay down on my bed, &amp; get under the covers.

I think to myself "I wonder if it will be there tomorrow, I should bring something for it to eat" then fall asleep.

Meldalvyna's P.O.V

As soon as I get into my room, I slam my already flimsy door &amp; collapse onto my bed. I look around my room in the shifting lantern light at all of my different drawings &amp; paintings stuck to my crumbling, dusty walls. I suddenly get up, grab what the humans call a pencil, a piece of paper, &amp; begin to draw. Thirty minutes later, I look at my finished work. The Freedom League officer I had cornered earlier today sat inside my paper up against a boulder, staring out at me. I look back at him intently at the drawing of the man, at every inch of his broad shoulders, slender face, strong chest, long ears, anything &amp; everything.

What captivates me most though were his eyes, the round, kind eyes that anyone could tell have seen hardship &amp; death, those eyes I could sink into forever &amp; never want to leave. As I stare, Sparx suddenly bursts into my room through my door.

"Hey, your parents wanted to talk to... wait, what's that?" He says, flying over the drawing before I have time to flip over the paper.

"Is this the human you saw in the forest?" He asks after a few seconds of quietly observing my drawing.

"Yes, it is, &amp; it WAS none of your business, &amp; I won't let you out of this room if you promise not to tell mom or Spyro," I growl at Sparx.

"All right, all right, sheesh, no need to go all blood-thirsty, moody, teen-aged, dragon lady on me. I promise I won't tell your parents about your drawing," he replies holding up both arms in defense.

"Let me see you promise that without you crossing your antenae, double-step uncle," I continue to growl mercilessly.

"Jeez, just like your mother," he mutters with a smile while putting a hand over his heart &amp; raising the other in a pledge-like fashion, "I, Sparx, do solemny sware _not_ to tell your mother, or step father, about your drawing."

I smile at him gratefully, wordlessly thanking him for taking this seriously. I open the door for Sparx, &amp; follow him out of my room down stairs, leaving my drawing underneath a book so Sparx wouldn't be tempted to try to show it to my parents later. Once I reached the bottom, I see that Spyro was the only one in the room.

"Where's mom?" I ask, although I already knew she was out hunting metalheads.

"You know," he says, " she just wanted me to tell you that she's sorry for picking on you earlier, &amp; that she didn't realize what had caused you to stay out so long." I waltz over to the old couch that had been left in the house when we found it &amp; fall into it.

"Why didn't mom want to say that to me," I say as sensitively as possible.

"You know how she is, she can't really handle being to blame for someone else's bad tempers," he replies looking out the only window with a sad, worried expression.

"I know, " I sigh, well aware of my mother's past, being feared even after she was released from Malefor's grip just because of her reputation.

"Can you tell her when she gets home that she doesn't need to apologize. I was acting like a brat, &amp; that I'm sorry?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

"Sure thing, I guess you are actually going to go to bed this time?" Spyro asks with a gentle smile &amp; a mischeviously playful, yet knowingly gentle tone.

"Yes dad," I say while rushing up the stairs before he can call me back down. I close my door &amp; change into my night clothes, which happen to actually be cloth. I climb into my bed &amp; close my eyes, drifting slowly into a peaceful sleep.

Before I fall to sleep I think, "_I wonder if the man will be there tomorrow, maybe I should go there to see him again_," then immediately fall asleep into peaceful bliss.

**Author's note: **Aw... how CUTE! Any who, that's it for now, tigerdj98 out!


	9. Hello Again

**Author's note: **Yay for light humor &amp; cliff-hangers!

As usual: **Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea. **Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/refernces, &amp; music links. Anywho, enjoy!

Meldalvyna's POV

Morning sunlight streams into my bedroom in fragmented golden arrows, right on my scaled eyelids. I open my eyes to only be blinded by, from a different angle that I'm not in, the seemingly gentle shafts of sunlight. I immediatly pull my head backwards &amp; away from the light that had SO significantly landed on my kangarat-hide pillow. After my vision finally returns, I get out of bed &amp; head downstairs, still in my pajamas. I eat a quick breakfast of various fruits &amp; head back upstairs. While I'm putting on my steel skirt, I see the drawing I had done of the man I saw in the forest still trapped beneath my book. I walk over to my desk, remove the book, &amp; gently lift up my drawing. Again, I am completely ensnared by the human's looks.

_"Curse my human inheritance_" I think to myself, now realizing that, again, I found this human attractive. Immediately after thinking this, I remember my last thought before I had fallen asleep the night before.

"Oh yeah, I was gonna go see if that man will be there again today," I say to myself. After setting down the drawing back in its place underneath the heavy book, I finish getting ready for the day. I rush down stairs to be greeted by my mother.

"Morning Mel, how did you sleep?" she says. Sitting down on the feeble couch, I look up at her.

"As well as any human-dragon hybrid on a bed that is falling apart can. I'm just kidding, I slept like a rock" I say with a genuine mishevious smile dawning my face.

"That's good," Cynder says with a shy tone.

"By the way," I say after a few long seconds of awkward silence, "Spy-I mean dad told me what you wanted to say to me last night." My mother whips her head around to face me, a sad smile spreading across her tired face.

"I know, &amp; Spyro told me what you told him last night, too," she replies with her facial expression seeping into her voice. I give a knowing nod, walk back to the stairs, then stop with a foot on the first step.

"I'll chop wood today after lunch for tonight's fire, but for now, I'll be in my room drawing," I say over my shoulder. I wait for the reply then rush up the stairs into my room. A few hours later, I hear my mother call me down to eat lunch.

I look at my finished masterpiece with a feeling of relief and new respect for my attention span. The man sat in his usual place infront of the bolder in color. His deep ocean-blue eyes with something mysterious hidden behind them, his slightly tanned skin, &amp; all the other things about him in beautiful, realistic colors captured in my painting on my homemade eisel. I run down stairs &amp; wash off my paint streaked hand-paws in the washing bowl. I scarf down my lunch of a metalmeat &amp; tomato sandwich &amp; head outside to chop the wood. After the few hours spent chopping wood with my tail blade, I open the front door to our house &amp; poke my horned head inside, careful not to scrap the already shredded doorframe.

"Hey guys, I'm going out into the forest to hunt for metalheads," I shout to anybody listening inside.

"All right," I hear Spyro &amp; Cynder shout from a different room. I take off into flight towards where I last saw the human in the forrest. I land on my favorite branch like I did the day before, then wait. Sure enough, a few minutes later, I hear bipedal footsteps &amp; smell the man's familiar scent mixed with something else. After a few seconds, I see the man as he passes underneath me with an orange ottsel holding what the humans called a camera on his shoulder with a nervous expression on its face.

I give a small grunt to let them know I was there. The man whips around quickly to look at me, causing the ottsel to lose his balance for a second.

"What the heck is that!" the ottsel screams. The man gives it a seemingly meaningless glance that the ottsel somehow understands. I leap from the branch down to where I had sat for so long the day before &amp; sit facing the man &amp; the ottsel. The man sits down in his spot &amp; leans up against the craggy bolder, bouncing his gaze between me, the ottsel with the camera, and the various sudden sounds of the forest. After a few minutes of staring each other down, the human motions for the ottsel to do something. The creature reaches into the bag the man has on his back, &amp; pulls out a small, red rectangular stirofoam package rapped in plastic, a light scent of bloodless yakkow meat filling the air.

Jak's POV

Loud, annoying beeps fill my ears as I'm rudely awakened by my alarm clock. Reaching over still half asleep, I slap at my alarm clock, trying to turn the stupid thing off. After a few minutes of struggling unsuccessfully to turn off the accursed piece of technology, I sit up angrily &amp; finally shut off the thing. I get up &amp; walk over to my dresser &amp; begin getting dressed. Fully dressed, I walk into the kitchen &amp; pour myself a breakfast of cereal &amp; a glass of apple juice. While eating this, I notice my drawing of the strange creature I had seen the day before.

Swallowing the spoonful of cereal in my mouth, I look at the picture, then remember my last thought before I had fallen asleep the night before. Remembering this, I get an idea.

"Why not bring something to it as some sort of peace offering?" I think to myself. I finish off my breakfast, then call Daxter, knowing that he's been up this early from wedding planning.

"Hey Jak, what's up?" Daxter says from the opposite end of the line.

"Nothin' much, do you wanna hang out today, I've got the same mission today as I did yesterday. All you'd have to do is hold the camera," I ask with hope in my voice, not wanting to be alone with IT this time.

"Holding the camera, &amp; that's it?" Daxter asks with a questioning tone.

"Yes Dax, that's all you'll have to do," I reply with a small smile.

"Fine, but you better come over here &amp; tell me everything that happened on that mission yesterday," he says with a demanding, yet not at all serious hint to his voice.

"I will. Oh yeah, when I told Torn what happened, I drew the creature," I said.

"What! You drew it? Dude, it's been forever since I've seen a drawing by you, you've gotta show it to me!" Daxter yells over the phone.

"I will, I will. I have a feeling that the creature will be waiting for me, though, &amp; I kinda want to bring it something. Anyways, I'll be there in a few minutes, see ya," I say while hanging up, grab the drawing, my wallet, the keys to my zoomer, &amp; head out the door, locking the apartment.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, I waltzed into the Naughty Ottsel, of which for some unexplained reason, I owned a quarter of, the rest being Daxter's &amp; Tess'.

"Yo, what up brotta!" I hear Daxter yell from the counter.

"Hey Dax, what's shakin?" I laugh, noticing Tess giggling on the opposite end of the counter at our enthusiasm.

"Nothin' much, so tell me all the details about the mission yesterday? I've already told Tessy-cakes here that her groom is going to be coming back home, so if I die, you'll have to deal with her, &amp; you don't want to tick her off, I should know" Daxter finishes in a whisper.

"Dax!" Tess shouts from across the room with a smile on her face &amp; a barely audible laugh.

"All right, then, here we go," I say sitting down.I pass Daxter the drawing of the creature only to have him burst out in shout.

"Jeez Jak, this is amazing! The creature would also be pretty smokin' if it wasn't for its freaky horns &amp; all those spikes, did it really look like this? Tess, come look at this!" he yells.

"Thanks, &amp; yes, it did look like that," I say, moving my hand so Tess could jump onto the counter without having to worry about clawing my hand.

"Wow, you're right Daxy-poo, it looks as if would be quite the eye-catcher for its own kind," she says with awe, "You should draw more often, Jak, I bet you could get alot of money from the drawings you could do."

I give her a questioning look, "Really, you think so?" Her only response was a simple smiling nod.

"So dude, tell us the story of how you met it," Daxter says with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

"Alright, no interruptions this time," I say pointing at Daxter.

"Ottsel's honor," he says with a cheesy grin while saluting. After starting the rather long story, pausing to eat lunch, &amp; finishing the story of how I met the creature, I slump backwards into my seat, exhausted.

"So Dax, you still wanna go?" I ask, noticing his thoughtful expression.

"Yeah man, I'll still go," he says, his thoughtful expression wiped away by an excited smile. Daxter jumps onto my shoulder, then waves to Tess.

"Bye baby, see you when we get back, love you," he says over both our shoulders as I walk out the door.

"Love you too," she yells as the door closes. I get onto my cobalt blue zoomer &amp; start heading towards the bazaar section of Haven City.

"Hey Jak, why're we going to the bazaar? I thought we were going into Haven City forest," Daxter shouts over the custom-altered to be loud engine as we slow down.

"We are Dax, I'm just getting a 'peace offering' for the creature," I shout back. Daxter looks down at me with curiosity streaked across his fur-covered, orange &amp; yellow face.I park the zoomer outside the bazaar area, go in, &amp; a few minutes later return with a small, red package off yakkow meat. I put the raw food into my bag, get back on my zoomer, then drive to the Haven City Forest &amp; Mountain Pass lock. As I walk into the internal chamber, I take the bag off my bag &amp; hand Daxter the camera.

"You remember the plan?" I ask him.

"Of course I do, when we see it, I get out the yakkow meat, open the package, then hand it to you, &amp; snap a picture of it while it's eating" he says with an incredulous look on his face.

"Good, you better be ready, because I'd imagine you'll only have a split second's chance," I say while walking through the final door into the warm sunlight of the forest. A few minutes later, I notice that we were approaching where I last saw the creature.

"Here it comes," I whisper, feeling Daxter tense, his paw giving a shakey, nervous thumbs-up. We come up to the clearing, &amp; just like before, as I pass under a low-lying branch, I hear a grunt from behind me. I whip around to see the creature in the same branch it was before, &amp; to also have Daxter scream in my ear.

"What the heck is that!" he shouts. I look over at him, giving him the look that used to mean 'shut up &amp; stay calm' when I was a mute. Daxter nods, &amp; I walk over to where I sat the day before &amp; sit down. A few minutes later, I nod my head to Daxter to get out the yakkow meat. He warily reaches in my bag &amp; grabs the package, his attention on the creature across from us the whole time. The creature makes a curious face &amp; starts sniffing the air as Daxter cuts open the plastic covering the raw food &amp; hands the opened package to me. He jumps off my shoulder as I slowly stand up, pulling a slab of the yakkow meat out of the stirofoam packaging.

"Here, take it, I won't hurt you," I say softly, slowly approaching the creature with the hand holding the meat outstretched towards the creature. After a few seconds, I place the piece of yakkow meat on a rock that's top was revealed to the world under the ground. It leans forward, sniffing the meat when Daxter takes the picture. It rips it's head in his direction with a curious look on its face, gives a small, surprisingly soft warning growl, then goes back to sniffing the meat. Seconds later, it looks up at me, obviously thinking about something, seems to reach a conclusion, then takes off into the trees. I hear the snapping of rather thick branches, then all the noise stops. All of a sudden, the creature flips upside-down directly infront of me, its claw extended towards me holding a large orange, scaring the crap out of me.

I take the fruit out of its claw with slight curiosity at why it had thick branches wrapped in its tail. It runs over near the meat I had left it, &amp; places the wood in a circular pattern, piercing the ground with two forked sticks, &amp; stabbing the meat with another stick. The creature then looks up ath the orange in my hand expectantly, as if it wants me to give the orange to it. I offer the orange to the creature, &amp; it snatches it from my hand. It tosses the orange into the air, leaps, &amp; does a series of erratic flips, slicing the orange to pieces, catching the pieces &amp; gracefully landing, the blade at the end of its tail dripping with orange juice. The creature stabs an orange slice on both ends of the stick, sliding the pieces up against the meat. The creature snaggs the rest of the meat away from Daxter, slicing the pieces &amp; shoving them onto the stick in a pattern with the orange slices.

"I know what you're doing, you're making a shishkabab," Daxter says, now with enough bravery to speak. It looks over at him with a gentle smile on its face, then grabs two black rocks &amp; smashes them together, causing sparks. The sparks catch, setting the wood ablaze in mere seconds. After a few minutes, the scent of the cooking meat &amp; oranges waft up from their place over the fire, making my mouth water. The creature then takes the stick off the fire &amp; divides the shishkabab into three equal sections, handing a section to Daxter, &amp; another to me, then eats its own section. Daxter takes a bite of his, chews for less then a seconds, then moans gratefully.

"This is awesome! Jak, you've gotta try it, it's amazing!" he says, his mouth already stuffed with the next bite. I take a small bite, &amp; am amazed by how good it tasted.

"Wow, I'm gonna have to make this some time, its amazing. Thank you," I say gratefully, looking at the creature with a gentle grin. It returns my smile with a shy one &amp; puts out the fire with a single breath.

"**How'd it do that?**" I hear Dark say in the back of my mind, Light also saying the same thing.

"I don't know," I think to the two, puzzled at the phenomenon myself. The creature suddenly stiffens, sniffing the air, its pupils now feline-like slits. All of a sudden, the creature pounces ontop of Daxter &amp; I, pinning us to the ground. It lowers itself closer to us, its chest only a few inches away from my face. Wings spread, it begins to growl, staring at the tree-line, waiting for something. I look over to my left arm to see that it is held down by its paw, its claws dug deep into the earth. Suddenly, what had alarmed the creature makes itself known. A metalhead leaps into the air from its hiding place, flying straight towards us.

**Author's note: **Well, this was definately my longest chapter so far, &amp; I hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I did typing it. This thing took me three days to write, so here it is! So, what did you think about the little twist I revealed about Meldalvyna being part human? The next chapter is finally going to have musical accompanyment, &amp; POSSIBLY some dragoness-human (maybe ottsel too) dialogue. See you next time, tigerdj98 out! :)


	10. Metalheads Attack

Author's note:

Hi everybody, this is tigerdj98. As usual, if at the beginning of a paragraph you see this: (tigerdj98 Note: Look up [ex] "The Hanging Tree" on Youtube), open a new tab, look up the song, &amp; listen to it as you read the paragraph.

As usual: **Stuff I own**: All my OCs &amp; plot idea. **Stuff I don't own**: Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter, Spyro character/references, &amp; music links.

Btw, I have a question for any reader to answer at the end of the chapter! *( ^_^ )* Anyways, I'm excited for this chapter, because this'n will finally have musical accompanyment!

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS BLOOD, GORE, &amp; MUSICAL ACCOMPANYMENT THAT HAS LIGHT PROFAINE LANGUAGE (HEAVY METAL)!

Meldalvyna's POV

After a few minutes, the orange &amp; yellow creature cuts open the plastic wrapping on the red styrofoam rectangle with one of its claws, then hands the opened package to the man infront of me, watching me warily the entire time. The little animal jumps off of the human's shoulder as the human male slowly stands up, pulling out a piece of butchered yakkow in the process. He walks cautiously up towards me, the hand containing the meat outstretched towards me.

"Here, take it, I won't hurt you," the man says softly with a gentle expression &amp; scent radiating from his skin. I stare at the meat, debating wether or not to take the meat straight from his hands.

After a few timid seconds, the man sets the yakkow steak infront of me on a bolder that's top punctured the surface of the ground like a stepping stone in a river. I lean forward, taking my attention away from the two across from me to sniff the meat laid before me. A bright flash suddenly goes off, &amp; I whip my head towards the source, only to see the small creature with the camera facing towards me. I give a soft warning growl, not wanting to terrify the creature. I go back to sniffing the meat, searching for any hidden poisons. Satisfied that there wasn't any poison, I get an idea, &amp; look up at the human, deciding whether or not to go through with my small plan on how the three of us could share the food so I wouldn't ruin my dinner later.

My decision lands on going through the plan, &amp; I immediately take off into the trees to get firewood &amp; an orange to serve as seasoning for the fire-roasted kabab I was planning to make. After finding what i needed, I wrapped the branches in the very end of my tail, held the orange I had gotten from the orange tree that my favorite branch happened to belong to in one of my hand-paws. I then wrapped the remaining amount of my tail loosely around the branch I was currently standing on &amp; flipped down infront of the man at eye-level with him while holding out the orange, accidentally scaring him. I wait for the man to take it from me, which after a few seconds he does with a curious look spread across his face. I flip down onto all fours only to be looked at with an even more curious look towards the branches in my tail as I set up the firewood &amp; the roasting sticks. After setting up the spicket, I turn back to the man &amp; give him a '_can I please have the orange back now_' look.

It took a second, but when he understood what I wanted, he offered me the orange. I immediately took the orange from his hand &amp; tossed the orange high into the air. I lept into the air &amp; showed off _(for some unknown reason even I couldn't comprehend) _by slicing &amp; peeling the orange with my tailblade in a series of flips &amp; twists. As I did my trick, I caught all the appropriately-sized pieces in my left hand-paw, then land, juice from the orange dripping off my tailblade. I put a slice of the orange on either side of the piece of meat the man had originally given me, then take the rest from the creature I now realized what the humans called an ottsel. I cut up the remaining pieces of meat, &amp; put them on in a pattern with the orange slices on the stick that I was intending to cook our snack on. After I finished putting together the kabab, the ottsel suddenly got a knowing expression on his face.

"I know what you're doing, you're making a shish-kabab," it says with the scent of new-found confidence wafting from it. I reply with a gentle smile, then run off in search of flint rock. To my relief, I find two pieces of flint, run over to the firewood, &amp; smash the two flammable rocks together, creating a barrage of sparks. A few spark lands on the firewood, &amp; few seconds later the fire is ablaze. After a few minutes, the kababs are done, sizziling &amp; sending the mouth-watering scent dancing gracefully into the air.

I take the ready-to-eat kababs away from the fire &amp; divide it into three portions. I give each section to the intended recipient, then begin to eat my own. Upon tasting it, I gain a new sense of pride in myself from the flavor of the snack I had made. I look up to see the ottsel be the first one to try the treat I gave the two. It chewed for less than a second, then gives out a gratefull moan, its eyes wide with appretiation.

"This is awesome! Jak, you've gotta try it, it's amazing!" the ottsel shouts, its mouth already stuffed with another man dubbed 'Jak' by the ottsel takes a small bite, then gets an awe-struck expression on his face.

"_Jak, I like it, it fits him_" I think to myself, the beginning of a grin starting to spread across my face.

"Wow, I'm gonna have to make this some time, it's amazing. Thank you," Jak says with a gentle smile on his face &amp; a gratefull tone. Again caught off guard by his attractive looks, I smile shyly back at him, &amp; if it weren't for my black scales, he probably would've seen the blush that now spread across my cheeks. Using my Wind element that I had inherited from my mother, I put out the fire &amp; wait silently for the ottsel &amp; Jak to finish their snack. I notice a confused look on Jak's face after I put out the fire, only to realize he was probably was wondering how the fire was put out by me just seeming to blow on it as if it was a lighted candle.

"_Man, I want to tell him how I did it so bad_" I complain in my mind, though I knew I couldn't as much as talk to him, or else he might get freaked out &amp; never come back. Suddenly, the scent of metalhead hits my sensitive snout. I immediately tense up, smelling more &amp; more metalheads, big ones. Hearing one start to get closer to us from where Jak &amp; the ottsel had come, I dive ontop of them, pinning them both to the ground parallel with the cliff-side. I get into a protective stance, dipping my upper half towards the ground to make myself appear bigger, not caring just how close my human chest was to Jak's body, though it still made me self-conscious. I begin to growl, trying to get the ever so approaching band of rather large metalheads to go away, spreading my wings as far as they would stretch, staring down the tree line. Suddenly, I hear a metalhead leap up from the underbrush behind me, flying straight towards us, &amp; feel Jak &amp; the ottsel tense up beneath my hand/feet-paws.

Jak's POV

([you've been waiting 4 it] tigerdj98 note: Look up "Get Up" by Korn feat. Skrillex on YouTube)

When the metalhead leaps, I can't help but tense up as it comes flying towards us. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Daxter do the same thing out of instinct, just as I was. Just as the metalhead is about to land, I feel the creature who's rather feminine chest was only an inch or so away from my face suddenly shift with a huge amount of force. The metalhead lets out a quick dying agonized roar as blood splatters onto the creature pinning Daxter &amp; I. Less then a second after whatever happened to the first metalhead, more come running out of the tree line towards us. The black &amp; red reptile pinning Daxter &amp; I leaps off of us towards the approaching metalheads.

The creature runs at them on all four, charging as if it isn't going to slow down. What I see next, I can't even begin to describe. The creature rams right into the closest metalhead, bringing their attention to it &amp; away from Daxter &amp; I. The obviously female creature then proceeds to fight the metalheads. With furious attacks followed by the sickening sound of metalhead flesh being torn away from the bone &amp; bones shattering, the creature that had cooked our small meal with gentle smiles &amp; grins only a few minutes ago began slaughtering metalheads left &amp; right. A furious roar escapes the creature towards her next victim as she charges towards it, followed by the disturbing sound of her latching onto the metalhead's foreleg in her mouth with a cockily evil smile spreading across her reptilian lips, sharp teeth dug into the metalhead's flesh showing.

The metalhead, seeming to know what was about to happen next struggles to escape the creature's grasp. All Daxter &amp; I can do is watch in horrified awe as it lifts the large metalhead up into the air &amp; proceeds to slam the metalhead to the ground quickly back &amp; forth in two directions, splattering blood everywhere, the sound of bone crunching with each quick &amp; brutal impact with the ground. She then begins to spin around in a circle, knocking the surrounding metalheads off their feet. The creature then releases the now dead metalhead from her jaws, sending it flying into the next group of metalheads, bloody, broken, &amp; bruised. It goes after another, &amp; when it reaches it, it swipes savagely at the metalhead with its paws, horns, &amp; tailblade, each attack hitting its mark. Again, she takes hold of the metalhead in her jaws, but this time she leaps into the air with it.

High up in the air beyond the reach of the metalheads, the creature begins to claw at the metalhead's underbelly with the sharp claws on her hind-legs, slicing into its stomach, drenching the ground in blood &amp; chunks of metalflesh, gravity having no effect on the creature. After a few seconds of sickening slicing, she begins to spin around the metalhead it quick tight circles, then stops only to body slam the metalhead into the ground, leap up, &amp; body slam the rather unlucky metalhead again, completely flattening its rib cage, literraly. After landing the second time, the creature does something that amazes me. She stands up on all four, her front legs shakey while her hind legs still sturdy, shifts her weight between all four legs, seems to come to a decision, &amp; stands up on her hind legs. She looks at me from her new position with an assuring apologetic smile before running off, her face &amp; neck dripping with metalhead blood. I can't help but take her in, she was probably my height, excluding the horns, with a thin, yet muscular body.

"**Well, would'ja look at that, a good cook, a vicious fighter, &amp; pretty good lookin' from behind**," Dark says with a smile seeping into his voice.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" I scream telepathically at Dark, taking my attention of the she-creature slaughtering metalheads.

"**Oh ****_come on!_**** You were checking her out too. Light, I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but back me up!**" Dark retorts, yelling back at me, his deep voice filled with annoyance.

"_Even though I don't wish to agree with my half-witted counterpart, I must. The she-creature is protecting us, you __were__ just 'checking her out,' &amp; even I must admit she is quite good looking_," Light says with his usual stern tone, surprising me with his final comment, Dark growling at his 'half-witted' remark.

"Fine, what ever you say," I reply, trying to push the thoughts of just how attractive the creature was out of my head. I return my attention to the female in question to see that she was surrounded by metalheads on all sides.

I quickly get up, running towards her, gun in hand. I stop a few feet away so I don't draw the metalheads' attention &amp; let one off. The shot hits a metalhead pushing the creature towards the cliff-side in the temple, surprising both the she-creature &amp; the other metalheads around it. The she-creature looks at me still surprised, then nods appreciatively. She jumps out of the now distracted ring of metalheads towards me, &amp; faces her back towards my own, then gets into a bipedal fighting stance. Back-to-back we begin to fight until the shere numbers of metalheads seperate us, pushing us to opposite sides of the small clearing.

Meldalvyna's POV

Suddenly, a gunshot rings through the air, the shot hitting a metalhead that was trying to corner me against the cliff-side in the side of the head, killing it. I look over in Jak &amp; the ottsel's direction to see Jak holding up a small handgun aimed where the metalhead was once standing. Shaking off the surprise from the sudden gunshot, I nod to him my thanks, &amp; leap out of the now distracted ring of metalheads towards Jak. I land behind him, my back to his, &amp; get into a fighting stance, trying to send the message of my intentions to him. He immediately gets what I was trying to say, &amp; copies me. After a few minutes of non-stop fighting, the metalheads end up seperating us to opposite sides of the small clearing. While grappiling with a metalhead, I notice one of the metal-skinned beasts stalking up behind a currently distracted Jak.

"_What am I going to do? If I just stand here, he will be killed, but if I use the element of Shadow, or I shout out, he might get freaked out &amp; fight his way out to his own safety &amp; leave me here_" I worry, slowly panicing while the metalhead continues to get closer to the man in question. As the ugly beast gets closer, I continue to panic on what to do, trying to weigh the options.

"_So many ifs, so many mights, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!" _I think to myself, annoyed at my own distress on what to do. Finally I give up &amp; go with my gut feeling when the metalhead is only six feet behind Jak, about to jump.

"Jak, get out of the way!" I scream, slaming the metalhead I had in my hand-paws into the cliff-side, &amp; run straight towards them.

Jak's POV

Seperated from the she-creature, half of the metalheads begin to put their attention on me. I fight &amp; fight, using my gun as sparingly as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I just barely notice the creature looking at me with a worried expression on her face. The metalheads, realizing my short attention span off of them, take their chance to swipe at me. I dodge the swipe &amp; spin kick a few across the face, snapping their necks. My attention back onto the metalheads infront of me &amp; at my sides, I begin to tire, my muscles beginning to shake, my attacks beginning to weaken.

"Jak, get out of the way!" I hear a feminine voice scream infront of me. I look up to see the she-creature running straight at me on two legs, a determined expression on her face. I leap out of the way just in time as she dives forward &amp; tackles a metalhead to the ground that had been sneaking up behind me. Majority of the metalheads bring their attention to the she-creature, while the little remaining metalheads keep their attention on me. Very few seconds later, the sound of breaking bones fills the night air. I look over to see the she-creature's elbow dug deep into the spine of the metalhead that attempted to sneak-attack me just above its hips, the beast's spine obviously broken.

All the other alive metalheads &amp; I stop dead in our tracks as the she-creature begins breaking the dead metalhead's ribs from its spine, a look of rath spread across her face. After breaking all of the ribs, she walks up to the deceased metalhead's front half &amp; cuts into the flesh all around its neck with her tailblade. She grips the metalhead on either side of the cut she had made, stands up, then looks straight at me.

"If you don't want to see a metalhead's spine ripped out by its head, I'd suggest not watching," she says with a vengeful tone.

"Um... alright then," I reply, realizing that she was the one who had told me to get out of the way earlier, "Uh...don't worry about me, I'm not squeamish."

She looks at me, nodds, &amp; does exactly what she said she'd do, the sickening sound of bone being ripped from flesh causing all the metalheads to shrink back, &amp; for myself to nearly gag as I hear Daxter vomit somewhere above us in the trees, blood splattering everywhere. She then grips the spine of the de-bodied metalhead &amp; starts spinning the still attatched head around like the spiked ball at the end of a flail.

The metalheads nervously approach her, terrified by what had happened to their comrad, &amp; possibly sibling, having completely forgotten about Daxter &amp; I. The she-creature suddenly gets a look of malice, &amp; swings the headed end of the spine at the closest metalhead, hitting it dead in the shoulder. That's when all hell breaks loose for the metalheads. She starts beating the remaining metalheads to death with her newly aquirred 'weapon.'

"**Jeez, even I'm not ****_that_**** cruel**," Dark says with an awe-struck tone, to which all I can do for a reply is softly grunt. I stand there, watching in horrified awe as the she-creature kills the last three metalheads in one stroke. She then drops the 'weapon' &amp; sits down like a human would on the only bolder in the small clearing. I feel Daxter suddenly jump onto my shoulder &amp; look at him, to which he shakes the camera around saying 'I got it all on' with his eyes. I nod, then walk over next to the creature, trying not to stumble over the metalhead bodies in the dark. I stand there for a second or two, trying to look into her eyes &amp; figure out why she seemed so sad &amp; worried when she looked at me.

"You did great, thank you for protecting us &amp; all," I offer, catching her off guard, then ask "same time tomorrow?" She looks up at me with a surprised look on her face &amp; nods, the sad look still lingering in her eyes. I get up &amp; begin to walk down the path to the Haven City Forrest lock gate.

"Uh, Jak," I hear the she-creature say.

"Yes," I reply softly, turning to face her.

"Thank you for fighting by my side, uh... the name's Meldalvyna by the way," she says shyly. I nod in response with a smile on my face. Meldalvyna smiles back, grabs a metalhead body in each hand, &amp; takes off into the air.

"Meldalvyna huh, I like it," I think to myself while walking towards the lock gate.

**Author's note: **QUESTION FOR ANY READER OF THIS STORY: What do you guys think of Meldalvyna being part human, &amp; what do you think she looks like? Please send in your answers via reviews! tigerdj98 out (for now...)!


	11. Blood & Confession

**Author's note: **Hi everyone, I have yet another chapter for you guys to read. Btw, I have information on what Meldalvyna looks like at the end for you!

**Jak's POV**

As I stepped into my apartment, the fact of what just happened hit me en mass.

"Wholly crap, I just exchanged names with the mystery creature in the forrest &amp; asked her if she wanted to meet me tommorow like I was asking her on a date? What is GOING ON WITH MY LIFE!" I yelled to the empty room, Daxter &amp; I agreeing to meet up at Freedom League HQ to show Torn the video he took of the she-creature killing metalheads.

"What was her name again?" I think to myself.

"**You liked her name, yet you can't remember it? How kind you are, even I remember her name, &amp; I wasn't even paying attention**" Dark says in the back of my mind, a smile seeping into his voice.

"Well then, what is it? I know it started with Mel, but I can't remember the rest is all," I ask him annoyed at my own forgetfulness.

"**Her name is Meldalvyna. Remember now?**" He says with a proud, cocky tone to his voice, to which I simply grunt a 'yes' in my relief, both of my alter egos go to sleep, leaving me to my own devices. I flop down on the couch &amp; turn on the television, trying to clear my head. Again, there's nothing on, &amp; even the mind-numbing commercials can take my mind off of _her_. Meldalvyna, her voice still sings in my ears, the image of her standing above me covered in metalhead blood still burnt in my mind. Every time I close my eyes, I see her, &amp; hear her soft voice. I even feel her weight on my wrists &amp; ankles from when she had pinned Daxter &amp; I to the ground, her VERY feminine chest dipped close to my face. I feel myself begin to drift off to sleep when I remember something quite irritating.

"Crap! I'm still soaked in blood!" I yell, leaping off the couch to see a Jak-shaped blood stain in my brand new suede couch. I stare at the infernal mess, trying to remember how Torn told me to get blood out of clothes, not to mention furniture. After a while, I give up &amp; call Torn, tapping my foot impatiently as I wait for him to pick up the communicator.

"Jak, where are you? You were supposed to report back to me after you came back from the forrest" Torn growls out as soon as he answered.

"Hi to you too, Torn. I'm at my apartment, &amp; I'll swing by with Daxter tomorrow to tell you what happened. Now listen, do you know how to get metalhead blood out of clothes?" I say in a rush.

"Yeah, use green eco-enhanced peroxide or cold water &amp; liquid dish soap, why?" He asks, taken back by my question.

"Uh, had a little metalhead problem in the forrest &amp; got soaked with blood. Um, would you...by chance...happen to know how to get the stuff out of suede?" I ask with a regretfully hopeful, yet nervous tone.

"No, why would you ask that?" Torn asks with curious ring to his voice.

"My couch is suede...don't ask where I got it...fine, Kiera got it for me, okay...Torn, it's not that funny, I bet a lot of men have suede couches," I retort angrily, Torn having started to laugh.

"Sure, sure. Seriously though, I bet Tess or Ashelin would know," Torn says after calming down a little.

"Thank you, Torn," I grind out, then hang up. I punch in Ashelin's number, begging the Precursors that she was awake. Ever since the last time I called her this close to midnight, she screamed at me, then proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the week, I've haven't called her at this time of night.

"Hey, what's up?" I hear her answer immediately, relieved that she wasn't asleep.

"Hi Ashelin, um, do you know how to get metalhead blood out of suede? Don't ask why," I say, not wanting her to laugh at my situation too, Torn was enough.

"Uh, yeah..." she says, curiousity in her voice, "you use a mixture extra strength green eco-enhanced peroxide, cold water, &amp; liquid dish soap that has bleach in it." she finnishes, curiousity still in her tone.

"Thanks, I owe you one, bye," I reply excited, &amp; hang up before she can reply. I sprint into the bathroom &amp; look through the medicine cabinet, searching for the peroxide I needed. Realizing I didn't have any of the extra strength green eco-enhanced peroxide &amp; only the normal stuff, I grab the bleach, rubber gloves I use with the afore mentioned liquid, &amp; a washcloth. I run back into the living room, set down the cleaning stuff on the coffee table, &amp; run into the kitchen to grab the liquid dish soap &amp; a large mixing bowl filled with cold water. I speed-walk as fast as the water-filled bowl will allow back again into the living room &amp; set down my newly aquired cleaning stuff on the coffee table. I then proceed to squirt in the dish soap &amp; lather it, pour in a good amount of bleach, put on the rubber gloves, &amp; dunk in the washcloth. I pick up the now almost overflowing bowl &amp; bring it to the end of the table closest to the couch, set it down, &amp; begin to scrub.

For a good three hours I scrub the couch, all the while thanking &amp; cursing the Precursors that my couch was already white to begin with. After finishing the couch at one o'clock in the morning leaving a large but barely noticible pink spot, I head into the bathroom &amp; take a shower, tossing all the now permenantly blood stained clothes into the trash, not even daring to use the bleach. One long, satisfied shower later, I finally lay down in my bed, not a speck of metalhead blood on my skin or in my hair. I look over at my alarm clock to see it was one fourty-five &amp; groan, knowing I won't get enough sleep. As I begin to drift, my mind returns to what it had been on before I had cleaned the couch. Meldalvyna's image fills my head when I finally fall asleep, &amp; just before I do, I happily realize I just might get enough sleep, especially now with her image putting me to blissful sleep.

Meldalvyna's POV

When I step inside my run down house, everyone immediately looks up at me. Just then, I realize why they are giving me such a strange look. I'm literrally covered horns to tailblade-tip in metalhead blood, carrying two mangled metalhead corpses, &amp; probably faintly carry Jak's scent from when I pinned him.

"Mel, what happened to you?" Sparx says worried.

"Oh, I saw these two while hunting, &amp; it ended up they weren't alone," I say, which wasn't entirely false, I did see at first only two metalheads when they attacked Jak &amp; I.

"It's no use lying to us, Meldalvyna. What actually happened, &amp; I bet it has to do with the scent from that man you told us about yesterday on you again," my mother says.

"Uh, can I clean myself &amp; eat first?" I ask, wanting to get rid of the blood turned red crust on my body &amp; fill my empty stomach.

"Yes, you may," Cynder replies with an exasperated tone while motioning Spyro to take the metalheads off my hand-paws.

"Thanks mom," I say rushing up the stairs to get my pajamas. After doing so, I follow my step-father into the bathroom &amp; wait for him to set up my bath. When the water is finally steaming, I shoo Spyro out of the bathroom &amp; immediately get undressed &amp; into the bath. A good thirty or so minutes later, I'm in my pajamas with not a spot of metalhead blood on my scaled skin &amp; down stairs eating.

"So," Sparx starts, "what happened?" I look up at him with a mouth full of metalhead meat &amp; an angry glare before I swallow.

"Yes, what _did_ happen," Spyro asks, a curious, yet scornful look on his normally gentle face.

"And tell us the truth, or else you'll be grounded from not only outdoors, but also from your art supplies &amp; all of your books for a whole month," my mother adds with a predatory growl in her voice &amp; a scowl all mothers get when they are threatening their children with groundings. I swallow what was left in my bite of metalmeat &amp; take a drink from my cup. After doing so, I tell them all of what had happened except for the part where Jak asked me if I'd be there again the next day &amp; where the fight with the metalheads had occured.

"And that's what happened. After the last metalheads were killed, I grabbed the two I came home with &amp; took off," I finish with an exhausted huff, leaving out the aforementioned parts &amp; when I told Jak my name.

"So do you trust this Jak, seeing as you &amp; him fought together &amp; all," Sparx said with a suggestive smile since he knew about the drawing I had done of Jak.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, he saved my life just as much as I saved his," I answer truthfully, ignoring Sparx's little smile.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing to have at least _one_ human we can trust in this world," Spyro says fully believing my story as it was told to him.

"Yes, &amp; I suppose it would be good for her to learn a little bit about the human side of her blood," Cynder adds, also believing my story, but still with an unsure tone.

"Wait, does this mean I can go into Haven City more often?" I say excitedly, realizing just what my mother said.

"Yes, but only on occasion," she replies with a small, forced &amp; still unsure smile.

"What kind of occasion?" I ask, now a little less exstatic about my mother's answer than I was at first.

"Such as shopping for food we can't get out here, getting art supplies, &amp; getting things as gifts for upcoming birthdays if _you_ have the money," Cynder says. I look at her in disbelief, as this was like letting me explore the tombs under Warfang than what I was originally allowed to do in comparison.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I screech excitedly, bouncing up &amp; down in my seat. Too excited to stay in my seat, I jump up &amp; run over to my mother &amp; give her the tightest hug I can manage around her rather thick neck, considerring she was nearly three times my size,&amp; a full grown dragon. After I finished eating &amp; doing the dishes for a half hour with Spyro, I walk into the bathroom &amp; grab my dried-blood covered steel clothes from the pile they lay in &amp; begin to wash them.

"Metal is so much easier to get blood off of than cloth is," I think to myself, happy I didn't decide to wear alot of cloth clothing earlier this morning. A good twenty minutes later, all of my clothing I had worn when the metalheads attacked is all perfectly spotless. I grab all of my clothes &amp; go upstairs into my room. As I walk in, the candles in my room light up thanks to my step-father's magical power to reveal an unchanged room from how I last left it. I look at my alarm clock, the only working piece of human made technology in the house, to see that it was eleven twenty at night.

I set down my clothes on my desk next to the pile of books which lay upon the first drawing of Jak I had made the night before. After setting down my clothes, I lay down &amp; attempt to go to sleep. About an hour later, I am still awake, not able to find any peace from my raging mind. I look up at the clock to see it is twelve thirty-sevin, already the day I'm supposed to see Jak.

"_Jak_," I think to myself, "_maybe thinking about him will ease me to blissful sleep._"

As soon as I begin to think about him, I can see his kind face, hear his gruff yet gentle voice, &amp; even feel him under my hand-paws &amp; feet-paws from when I had pinned him earlier &amp; begin to fall asleep.

Just before I finally drift off to the sanctuary that is sleep, I think to myself "I can't wait to talk to him later, heck, I hope his little animal freind is there too, he seemed like he'd know how to make someone laugh."

**Author's note: **Well, I hope you guys liked this little short one, &amp; I hope the next chapter ends up getting out a little bit sooner than this one did. **Btw:** Meldalvyna's looks pretty much exactly like Cynder from Spyro Dawn of the Dragon. All you'd have to do to make Cynder from Spyro Dawn of the Dragon into Meldalvyna is give her four finger-toes &amp; a thumb on each paw in the front &amp; four toes in the rear, hair that fades from blue to red down to where her wings come out of her back, a slightly smaller tailblade, pupils that can go from human-like to cat-like, the ability to walk on her hind legs, a Laura Croft's breast, &amp; the ability to use her thumbs. Easy to remember, right? Now that you have a basis, you'll really begin to see her character in action. Well, see you the next time I post a chapter, tigerdj98.


	12. The Video & A Trip into Haven City

**Author's note: **Hi everyone, Tigre again. When I wrote this chapter, it took me a good five, ten minutes just to figure out the title for this chapter. ON WITH THE STORY!

**Stuff I own:** All OCs &amp; plot idea. **Stuff I don't own:** Any &amp; all Jak &amp; Daxter characters/references, Spyro characters/references, &amp; music links

**Jak's POV**

Beautiful, beautiful silence fills the air, the only disturbance being the sound of the blankets shifting as I twitch half awake. But, alas, the ever growing conscious half of my sleeping mind feeling as if it was forgetting something important. Suddenly, I realize what was wrong &amp; fly out of bed like a bat fresh out of Hell.

"Damn it, I'm late! Torn is going to kill me, hell, Daxter might even, I was supposed to pick him up," I mentally yell at myself, waking up both Dark &amp; Light. I quickly slap on my clothes &amp; brush my teeth, not even bothering with my hair, it's too short to really do anything with anyhow. I run back into my room, grab my normal gear, &amp; rush out the door.

I jump onto my cobalt blue zoomer &amp; push my precious piece of machinery as fast as it can go in the Freedom League only hover-zone, heading straight for the Naughty Ottsel. When I pull up, I turn off my zoomer, lock it, &amp; leap off all under a second &amp; run straight in the bar, searching the interior for either of the ottsels. I immediately see Tess cleaning the bar, &amp; run up to her. She notices me coming &amp; looks up at me, a curious look scrunching up her already small face.

"Hi Jak, what's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost," she says, worried.

"Is... Daxter... here?... I... I was supposed... to pick... him up... to go see... Torn today," I ask between exhausted gasps for air.

"No, he left twenty minutes ago, you know how long it takes for an ottsel to get to the Freedom League HQ from here," she smiles with a knowing grin on her face.

"Thanks Tess," I groan apreciatevly as I run out the door &amp; back onto my zoomer. I switch back on my zoomer &amp; take off, speading toward the HQ as fast as possible, not wanting to be any later than I already am. I finally reach the Freedom League HQ &amp; sprint towards the door, punch in the security code, &amp; rush into the familiar conference room. As soon as I enter the room, Daxter &amp; Torn look up from whatever they were looking at to look at me.

"Jak, where the Hell have you been? You're ten minutes late, &amp; Daxter &amp; I have been waiting for you to get here so you two could start telling me what the Hell happened yesterday," Torn yells as soon as he sees me. I walk over to the conference table &amp; sit down in the seat next to Daxter opposite of Torn.

"Sorry that I over slept. I didn't finish cleaning the metalhead blood out of my couch until one in the morning, _sir_," I grind out, trying to control my temper, Dark being grouchy from the sudden awakening earlier.

"Well, next time you get soaked in blood, don't get it on your couch. Then _maybe_ you'll get to where you need to be," Torn growls back at me through his teeth, eyes squinted angrily. I look over to Daxter &amp; see he is also scowling at me, his eyes saying 'dude, what gives, you were supposed to pick me up earlier.' Torn then seems to calm down a little bit &amp; sits in his chair.

"Never mind that, so, what happened yesterday?" he says, already shrugging of the tiny conflict. As I sit forward &amp; begin to recall what happened to Torn, Daxter hopps onto the table &amp; turns on the video camera. While I told the rather long story, I left out only two parts, those being the part when I asked her if she'd be there again the next day &amp; when she told me her name. After I finished, Daxter showed Torn the picture he had taken of Meldalvyna sniffing the metalhead meat.

"So, that's what the creature looks like, you captured her pretty well in that drawing you did of her yesterday, Jak" he says, slightly taken back by what he saw. Torn then gets a curious look in his eyes &amp; looks at me questioningly.

"Jak, how'd you know it was female?" he asks, curiousity strung through his rough voice.

"Heh, you'll see. It's kind'a hard to _not_ be able to tell with this one," I laugh nervously with a cocky grin splashed across my face.

"What?" he asks, a critisizing &amp; confused look in his eyes.

"Dude, just watch the vid &amp; you'll see," Daxter says shoving the video camera into Torn's face. The first image to show up on the screen is Meldalvyna's breast, with my face less than five inches away from it tipped away from the flesh. I look at Daxter, shooting daggers at him with my eyes, to which he just grins &amp; rolls his eyes apologetically. When I look back, Torn is giving me a weird look.

"This was when she was pinning us" I say, trying to defend myself from his scrutiny &amp; my own embarassment.

Torn just shakes his head &amp; continues to watch the video. As he watches the video, I watch the expressions pass by on his face as they go from curious, to surprised, to something like awe-struck, &amp; a few I can't identify. When I hear Meldalvyna yell at me to get out of the way, Torns eyes widen in surprised shock &amp; looks at me as if to say 'you forgot to mention she talked more than once.' Torn then looks back to the video, obviously curious to see where the rest of the video would be going. When the part when Meldalvyna de-bodied a metalhead spine (head included), I swore I saw him gag as she started beating the remaining metalheads with her new 'weapon.' After this, his face remained in his usual expression.

When the video finally ended, &amp; he handed the camera back to Daxter, he looked up at me with an expression in his eyes I had never seen before.

"Can you tell she was female now?" I ask with my so called 'classic' devious grin plastered on my face.

"Yes," Torn growls, his oh-so familiar scowl chizzeled into his face. I chuckle at him, knowing just what he was thinking.

"Jak, I have a new mission for you, &amp; it concerns this, she-creature," Torns says, his brows bent downward in thought. When I give him a curious look, he stands up &amp; begins to pace.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask, terrible curiousity setting in my chest.

"I want you to bring this creature in, nicely, &amp; I want to see if she'd like a place here in the Freedom League" he says, now leaning against the table, staring at me.

"What? First, how am I supposed to get her in the city, second, what if she doesn't want to join, third, why do you want her to join the Freedom League?" I blurt out, surprised by Torn's proposal.

"First, I can assign a transport for you two to ride in the back together so she'll remain calm, second, if she doesn't want to she doesn't have to, &amp; third, she would be an excellant asset to the League, her fighting skills are phenomenal," he replies insensitively.

"Uh, okay then, I'll try. But she'll need to know why I'm taking her into the city before she even leaves the Mountain Pass, &amp; I'll call you when I need that transport sent out" I say, slightly agreeing with Torn's logic. As I stand up from my seat, Torn nods in agreement to my terms, knowing trust was involved with this mission. While I head out the door, Daxter hops up on my shoulder as I start up my zoomer.

"Where we headed?" he asks while we speed off.

I look up quickly at him &amp; say, "Don't you remember? We're almost going to be late to meeting up with Meldalvyna, &amp; I don't want to be chewed out about being late again by someone I just met. I would also like to eat before we get there."

Daxter simply nods, an understanding smile spread across his furry face as he takes out his communicator, probably about to tell Tess what he was doing.

Meldalvyna's POV

The scent of metalhead bacon &amp; seagull eggs waft up from the kitchen, into my room, &amp; tease my sense of smell until I am wide awake. I stand up sturdily, despite how groggy I still was, &amp; walk down stairs &amp; into the kitchen to see Spyro cooking, Sparx munching on his breakfast of butterflies, &amp; my mother slowly munching on her helping of eggs &amp; bacon.

"Morning Mel, how'd you sleep?" Sparx asks with his mouth stuffed when I sit down at the table.

"Good, you" I reply as Spyro sets my plate of food down infront of me.

"Good, thank you, even with all your snoring," he says, a playful grin spread across his tiny face.

"Sparx, it's too early to start that right now," Cynder says when she hears me growl in protest.

"Thanks, mom," I say, thankful she stopped Sparx from pestering me. After finishing breakfast, I remember one of the things that had kept me awake the night before.

"Hey, mom, can I go into Haven City today? I need to get more paint, I'm almost out," I ask, remembering what she had said the night before.

"Like I said last night, only if _you_ have the money for it," Cynder replied.

"I know. So, may I?" I repeat, putting a small pleading tone in my voice.

"Yes, you may. When do you intend to go?" she says, exasperated.

"Thank you. I plan to go after I'm done getting dressed &amp; brushing my hair &amp; teeth," I say matter-of-factly. Cynder nods approvingly, a soft grunt in place of an okay. I rush upstairs &amp; get dressed, brush my hair &amp; teeth, &amp; go back into my room to grab the final things I need. I grab about forty dollars in this world's currency from my cash jar that I earn by selling metalhead gems carved into miniature sculptures, the black hood I use to cover my face, a pair of human combat boots that go up to my knees (the only ones I have) to cover my ankle blades, &amp; the pair of gloves I use to disguise my hand-paws. I run back down the stairs with everything either under my arm or stuffed in my steel top &amp; head towards the door.

"Bye guys, I'll be back before noon," I call out just before I close the door.

Once outside, I put on my gloves &amp; combat boots, then take to the skies towards the Haven City Mountain Pass lock. When I get there, I hover about three stories above where I'm going to land to look for anything that might watch me once I'm down there. Not seeing anything or anyone that could acheive organized ambushes, I silently land &amp; walk up to a shady spot next to the lock, not knowing the security code myself. I then slip on my hood that blends in perfectly with my skin colors, put up the actual hood over my head &amp; horns, letting my unbraided hair wash down my chest in waves of bright red. Just before using my Shadow element that I also inherited from my mother, I wrap my wings around my body like a dress, using my tail to fill in the gaps in my wings at the bottom. After acheiving aforementioned disguise, I let the cool, black flames of Shadow envelope my body as I phase down through the soil, travel through the rock &amp; metal under the wall, &amp; back up through the metal on the opposite side in an abandoned alley.

I calmly walk out of the alleyway, &amp; make a right towards the bazaar. As I walk by countless people &amp; under countless more on flying machines the humans called zoomers, only a few people on the ground actually look in my direction, while the ones with zoomers never bother to look down. Once in the bazaar area, I immediately find my favorite stand that has majority of the art supplies I need.

"Hi fellow stand owner, been a while, ya want yer usual stuff, or do ya want sum'm else today?" the owner of the stand greets, her unusual accent full of happiness at seeing someone familiar.

"Oh, just the usual, paints, pencils, paper, &amp; erasers. I don't think I need anything else," I reply with a smile on my hidden face, the grin apparent in my voice.

"Sure thing. Hey, when are ya goin' to tell me yer name, girlie? Tell ya what, I'll give ya a huge discount on everything if ya tell me," she says happily while retreaving my usual brands of what I had asked for.

"Oh...uh, my name's Meldalvyna, but you can call me whatever you like, doesn't matter. And don't bother with the discount, I don't mind paying in full," I reply, slightly surprised she wanted to know my name.

"_Huh, third person of this world I've ever told my name to, I wonder why she wanted to know my name_" I think to myself as the stand owner walks back over to me, all the supplies in a brown paper bag.

"Meldalvyna, huh? Intrestin' name, I like it, suits those neat little bits ya sell at yer stand. Mind if I call ya Melly?" she says once she reaches the counter.

"Sure, Melly's fine," I reply while she hands me the paper bag.

"Thanks, my name's Gertrude, but most folks 'round here call me Gerty," she smiles.

"Well, nice to finally know your name, Gerty," I reply with another smile in my voice.

"Nice to know yer's too, Melly. That'll be thirteen bucks flat," she says, another smile curling her slim, middle-aged face.

"What, this usually costs thirty seventy-five!" I say, surprised by the sudden &amp; large drop of price.

"Like I said, Melly, ya got a huge discount 'cause ya told me yer name." she laughs, hazel eyes sparkling along gleefully with her smile, auburn hair bouncing on her shoulders with each giggle.

"Well, thank you for the discount, I guess," I say while handing her the cash, still taken aback by the discount.

"Well, until next time, Melly. Who knows, maybe then I can get ya to show me yer face next time," she says, a small smile on her face.

"Oh, um... sure, maybe, but if I do, be prepared for a huge surprise to see what's underneath this hood. Bye, Gerty," I call over my shoulder while walking away towards my next destination. As I walk up to the next stand, I look to see if it has what I need in stock. Sure enough, the stand is stocked with a variety canvases of different sizes, cotton grades, &amp; shapes. Once I get to the stand, the owner smiles at me &amp; shifts his position closer to the canvases.

"What can I get you?" the man says through a bushy mustache, his lips completely hidden by the hairs.

"Oh, just what I usually get, thank you," I reply, a pleasant tone in my voice.

"Sure thing, that'll be nine dollars even," he replies, his hard yet gentle voice ruffling his brown mustache with every breath while handing me the canvases I usually buy from the man.

"Thank you, here you go," I say happily while handing him the nine dollars. Happy to be done shopping I head for the clock stand to see what time it was. Once there near panic envelopes me.

"_Oh no, it's eleven thirty already! I've got to hurry!_" I think to myself, almost screaming it out for the world to hear. I run as fast as my legs can carry me towards the alley I had entered the city through, not caring who saw me. Once in the alleyway, I dive through the ground to the other side using my Shadow element, still not caring if anyone witnessed the feat.

On the other side, I immediately set down the things I bought &amp; strip myself of my disguise, leaving on the gloves &amp; boots. After I finish getting off all of my stuff, I string the paper bag full of art supplies &amp; my hood around my tail, grab my canvases, &amp; take off into the air. I fly as fast as I can, zipping between trees, branches, &amp; anything else in my way. Minutes later, I see our crumbling house &amp; begin to slow down for a bipedal landing. When my feet touch the ground, I sprint to the door &amp; fling it open, causing everyone inside to look up at me.

"Are you alright, you still have five minutes until noon," Cynder says with a grin, knowing immediately what had happened.

"Yeah ...it was... eleven thirty... when I looked... at the clock stand... woo," I gasp, collapsing onto the old, faded couch.

"Well alright then, go eat some lunch, &amp; when your done, go outside &amp; do something," she says, the entertained smile still slapped across her scaled face. A few minutes later, while eating lunch I remember that I'm supposed to meet up with Jak at six o'clock. I scarf down the rest of my lunch, take off the remaining bits of my disguise, drag my shopping &amp; disguise up to my room, &amp; rush back down the stairs &amp; outside to do something until five thirty, which is about when I start heading to my favorite branch.

**Author's note: **Hi everyone, this was one long chapter. All the time I was writing this, my little brother kept on asking me if I wanted to play The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon with him, pretty ironic, huh? Thank you for reading this kinda boring chapter, tigerdj98 out!


	13. The Third Meeting

**Author's note: **Hello everybody, tigerdj98 is in again with yet another chapter to this story!

Anyways, **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs &amp; the places these characters live in, as well as music links**.

Enjoy!

Jak's POV

"Precursors, I was starving," I say while leaning back in my seat in the Naughty Ottsel after finishing my meal.

"Same here, man. I can't believe Torn only let us have an apple for lunch while we were talking to him" Daxter says with a burp, also sitting back with his head tipped back so all I could see of his face was the bottom of his yellow muzzle. Tess walks over, taking away the plates, kissing Daxter on the forehead as she goes.

"Delicious, babe. Want help?" Daxter asks, lifting his head from its resting place.

"Thanks. I got it," she says, hopping down to the floor.

"Ready to go &amp; meet Meldalvyna?" I ask, also sitting up.

"Yeah, as long as you are Jak. Be back in a bit babe! Going to go see the dragon lady with Jak!" Daxter shouts to Tess, jumping on my shoulder as I stand up.

"Okay, don't take too long with Meldalvyna! Love you," she shouts back, already in the kitchen washing the dirty dishes.

"Love you too," Daxter yells as I walk out the door. I get on my zoomer &amp; rev the engine, then shoot off towards the Haven City Mountain Pass lock. Once there, I shut down, lock, &amp; leap off my zoomer all in less than a second &amp; half jog over to the lock's code pad.

"Jeez, Jak, you seem like you can't wait to see Meldalvyna," Daxter smiles with a teasing tone.

"If I don't hurry, then I'll be late," I retort while typing in the five number code.

"Sure," Daxter says with a small smile, drawing the word out sarcastically. I look up at him with a slightly irritated glance, &amp; then begin to walk through the now open door into the forest. I speed walk down the now familiar path to where I first met up with Meldalvyna, trying to think of a way to great her.

"**Why don't you wait until you actually get there, your frantic thoughts are irritating the HELL out of me**," Dark groans in the back of my head, his sigh bouncing around my skull.

"_He doesn't wish to accidentaly insult her or seem like a, how do you say, idiot_," Light retorts to Dark.

"What he said," I say telepathically to them, all the while conscious of how close I was getting to the place I promised to meet Meldalvyna. When Dark or Light don't reply, I continue to sort through different ways to great her, tossing away all of them that come to mind. As I pass the all too familiar final bend, I give up &amp; decide to go with Dark's advice. Walking down the path, I catch sight of Meldalvyna resting up in the branch where I had first saw her, &amp; feel a smile immediately tug at my lips. Probably hearing my footsteps, she looks up, smiling when I stand just a few feet away from the branch. She then hopps down from her branch on all fours then stands up on her hind legs.

I can't help but do a quick sweep over her midnight &amp; blood colored body. She had on her usual steel bra &amp; chain mail skirt, her rather feminine cleavage seeming to barely fit inside her top, complemented by her muscular arms, muscular stomach, &amp; long neck. Her tail curved elegantly a few inches above the ground, her blue &amp; red hair flowed in waves until it disappeared behind her back, &amp; her wings closed in two massive folds on either side of her body behind her back. The steel choaker necklace along with all her other metal &amp; her horns shone brightly in the sparse pockets of sunlight that fell upon her form. Her green eyes sparkled like a dark emerald dotted in bright green eco, her pupils round unlike they were the last time I saw them when the metalheads attacked the three of us. Once I took this all in under a second, I refocused on Meldalvyna's face.

"Hi Jak," she says, her mellifluous voice flowing out of her mouth smoothly.

"Hey Meldalvyna, what's up?" I ask, nervously shifting from side to side, hoping it wasn't noticeable.

"Nothing much, you?" she replies, her facial expression changing from shy &amp; nervous to curious.

"Why did her expression change like that? Do I have something on my face?" I think nervously to myself. I shake my head no, making sure to keep a straight face while shrugging my shoulders.

"Hey! What about me!" Daxter says annoyed that he got left out of the conversation thus far.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't catch your name yesterday," Meldalvyna says, a small look of shock that Daxter spoke.

"Well, my name's Daxter. But you can call me... Orange Lightning," he replies, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively while smiling jokingly.

"Hello, then, Daxter," Meldalvyna gently smiles, her sharp teeth now seemingly harmless.

"So, what do you want to do?" I offer, trying to get my nerves to settle to how they were the last time I spoke to Meldalvyna.

"Uh, I don't know," she replies with a thoughtful expression. She sat down on the ground, her scaled brows creased in thought. I sit down beside her, waiting for a reply.

"I don't know," she restates, having given up trying to find an activity.

"Okay then, why don't we walk &amp; talk," I reply, thinking that if maybe I walk with her instead of getting stared at by her &amp; Daxter that my nerves will calm down a little.

"Are you afraid of me?" Meldalvyna suddenly blurts, a sad tone to her voice.

"No, why would think that I'm afraid of you?" I ask, taken back by her sudden sulleness.

"Well, your nervous, I can tell," she says looking up at me, a melancholey look in her eyes.

"Oh, I'm not nervous because I'm afraid, hell, I don't even know why I'm so nervous," I reply, slightly curious at how she could tell I was nervous. Was I that obvious?

"Okay, sorry about that, it's just last night I thought I had scared you &amp; Daxter," she said, her voice a bit more relieved.

"Chick, sure it was a bit scarey at first, but it was cool as hell at the same time! You are an awesome fighter, better than Jak maybe even!" Daxter says cheerily bouncing onto Meldalvyna's knees, also trying to lighten the heavy mood. Smiling she stands up, offering a hand to me to pull me up. I take her hand &amp; stand up also smiling.

"Alright then, I'll go for a walk with you guys, but I don't know what we're going to talk about," she says, the smile staying on her face. When Daxter jumps on my shoulder, I notice Meldalvyna's smile broaden a bit more. After a little while of walking in silence, I decide to ask a question that had been bothering ever since Meldalvyna said she could tell I was nervous.

"Hey Meldalvyna," I say just loud enough to get her attention.

"Yes Jak," she says curiously, looking at me with a thoughtful expression.

"How did you know I was nervous?" I ask, looking at her dead in the eyes only to see them widen in surprise.

Meldalvyna's POV

Looking at the sundail we kept outside I noticed it was finally five thirty in the afternoon. I rush to the house &amp; whip open the door.

"I'm going on a walk in the forrest!" I shout inside to anyone there to hear it.

"Alright, but be back before nine thiry!" I hear Spyro shout back. I quickly shut the door &amp; take a running leap into the air &amp; start heading towards the location of my favorite branch. I whiz through the air towards the cliff that sat directly above the place where I was supposed to meet Jak.

After about twenty minutes of rushed flying, I see the edge of the cliff &amp; climb higher into the air. Just before the edge of the cliff flashes by, I flip upside down &amp; dive over the edge of the cliff, one of my best racing tricks that I use in the proffesional circuits back in Warfang. Blazing through the small gaps in the branches of trees below the cliffs edge, I spin around so that my stomach is facing the cliff craggy side. Just when I'm only six feet above the ground I slow down &amp; pull up hard so that I don't crash face first into the ground. I then continue flying just below the reach of the branches to where I knew Jak would come. After seven minutes of flying, I finally land on my favorite branch &amp; begin to wait for Jak.

Right at what I believe to be six o'clock, I hear footsteps &amp; smell Jak's scent only a few feet away. I look up the path to see him smiling gently at me along with the orange &amp; yellow animal on his shoulder. I send a smile back his way, &amp; take advantage of the distance before I stand up to do a quick look over of his body. His dark ocean blue eyes focused softly on me, his slim yet strong face pulled in a smile, his green-rooted blonde hair peeking up above his leather &amp; metal goggles that rested just above his green eyebrows. He had on his normal blue uniform on, evidence of a toned chest &amp; muscular arms hidden underneath his shirt. Continueing down, I saw his well fitted tan pants seeming to hug his obviously strong legs, ending in tall combat boots.

After doing all this while he was walking just a few feet closer, I jump off my perch &amp; land on all fours infront of Jak &amp; his creature. When I stand up, Jak quickly sweeps his eyes over my body, trying to hide what he was obviously doing.

"He's checking me out, oh my god!" I think to myself cheerily, the mental smile broadening my already smiling face. Once his eyes reach my face, I suddenly become extremely self-conscious.

"Hi Jak," I say, suddenly extremely shy.

"Hey Meldalvyna, what's up?" he replies, the scent of nervousness eminating from him.

"Nothing much, you," I reply, curious why he was so nervous. He simply shakes his head no &amp; shrugs his shoulders, gesturing that nothing much happened. Suddenly, his emotion changed from just nervous to slightly scared at the same time.

"Why is he so nervous? He wasn't acting like this last night," I think to myself, trying to figure out why he was acting like this.

"Hey! What about me!" the orange creature says with an annoyed tone, bringing me out of my reverie with surprise.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't catch your name yesterday," I reply, still slightly surprised it actually could speak.

"Well, my name's Daxter. But you can call me... Orange Lightning" he says while suggestively wiggling his eyebrows &amp; jokingly smiling.

"Hello, then, Daxter," I say with a gentle smile, trying not to laugh at his rediculous voice.

"So, what do you want to do?" Jak pipes up, still nervous. Realizing I had absolutely nothing planned in case this exact situation came up, I start to wrack my brain for things we could do.

"Uh, I don't know," I say, trying to think of something fast. I sit down &amp; continue to think, Jak sitting down next to me.

"I don't know," I say again, my head hurting from trying to think so hard.

"Okay then, why don't we walk &amp; talk," Jak suggests, his nervousness getting to me. Suddenly I realize why he might be so nervous, &amp; it saddens me to the core.

"Is he... is he... afraid of me?" I think to myself, trying to come to terms with the realization. It would explain why he was so nervous. I feel myself begin to well up with the terrible thought, barely able to hold it in.

"Are you afraid of me?" I suddenly blurt out, not being able to puzzle over it any more.

"No, why would think that I'm afraid of you?" he replies with a confused tone to his voice.

"Well, your nervous, I can tell," I say looking at him, relieved he didn't say he was afraid, but not enough to cheer me up.

"Oh, I'm not nervous because I'm afraid, hell, I don't even know why I'm so nervous," he says, a gentle smile tugging sympathetically at his lips. I smell just a tinge of curiousity coming from him, probably from the fact that Daxter was more than likely one of the only people who could tell his emotions, yet I could as well.

"Okay, sorry about that, it's just last night I thought I had scared you &amp; Daxter," I say back, a bit releived that he wasn't afraid of me, but not by a lot.

"Chick, sure it was a bit scarey at first, but it was cool as hell at the same time! You are an awesome fighter, better than Jak maybe even!" Daxter says cheerily bouncing onto my knees from Jak's shoulder with a hug smile seeming to rip his small face in half. I smile back &amp; stand up, &amp; turn to offer my hand to help Jak up. He takes my hand &amp; smiles at me while he stands, not pulling at all.

"Alright then, I'll go for a walk with you guys, but I don't know what we're going to talk about," I say once everyone is standing, my smile staying on my face. I watch Daxter climb onto Jak's steel-armored left shoulder &amp; can't help but smile at the sight. We walk toward the small clearing, surprised to see that the only thing remaining from the battle with the metalheads the night before was the blood in the sand &amp; grass, no corpses remaining.

Once we pass through the clearing with only a few "ew"s &amp; "gross"s from Daxter, the rest of the walk goes in silence, but only for a little while. I watch Jak through my periphreals, &amp; see his face bent in thought, the watery scent of puzzlement wafting into the air. After a while, I look away at just the right moment each time before Jak can notice I was just looking at him, trying to figure out why he was so thoughtful at the moment.

"Hey Meldalvyna," I hear Jak say quizitively, his curiousity seeping into his voice.

"Yes Jak," I reply looking at him, curious why he was acting like he was nervous again, though all I could smell was his puzzlement.

"How could you tell I was nervous?" he asks, taking me by complete surprise.

**Author's note: **Okay, now I know that chapter wasn't very entertaining or interesting, but it gives a hint to what the antagonist of this story is, &amp; it's a key factor to the story. Any who... hope you guys liked the chapter &amp; I can't wait to hear your replies to my questions, tigerdj98 OUT!


	14. The Sense of Smell & Sparx's Offer

**Author's note: **Hi everyone! Nothing else to say, so, ON WITH THE STORY!

**Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs &amp; the places these characters live in**.

Meldalvyna's POV

I stare at Jak, trying to find a way how to answer him without creeping him out make him feel self-conscious.

"Yeah, how did you know that, usually I'm the only one who can tell," Daxter says, now also curious on what I had to say. I look between the two of them, realizing they weren't going to drop the subject until they got an answer.

"Um, you know how some animals can smell fear?" I ask with a sigh of exasperation, a little nervous as to what their reactions would be.

"Ya," they both say in unison, the scent curiousity seeming to stick to them like glue.

"Well, you see, I can smell all emotions, &amp; I can use those scents to tell if a person is lying to me or not," I say slowly, looking at them for any visible change in emotion. Jak's &amp; Daxter's faces pull into slightly surprised expressions, the unmistakeable scent of wonder wafting from them.

"Cool, what does, I don't know, curiousity smell like?" Jak asks, his head slightly tilted to the side like a puppy. I smile gently at him, unable to get the puppy thought out of my head.

"It smells kind of like puzzlement, kind of watery, more like a rain, though," I say, trying to be as discriptive while also not trying to overload them with a long-winded description.

"Ooh, ooh, what does happiness smell like?" Daxter says, scaring me a little when he jumps on my shoulder.

"Happiness smells kind of like flowers, or like a tropical fruit," I say, shrugging my shoulders, getting used to the unfamiliar weight.

"Damn girl! How much can you lift, because your shoulders are ripped! Jak come here &amp; feel this chicks' muscles!" Daxter exclaims right into my ear. Jak only grins &amp; shakes his head at Daxter's antics.

"No dude, seriously! She is a fuckin' beast, no offence," he says, grinning sheepily at the beast comment.

"None taken, all my freinds back home used to call me that when I'd beat them in races or in sparring contests" I brag with a small grin.

"Dude, Jak's the best racer in Haven, Spargus, Kras, everywhere pretty much!" Daxter says, now jumping onto Jak's shoulder. Jak nodds his head side to side, then nodds with a cocky smile on his face.

"Wow, finally I get to meet another famous racer. Maybe you and I could race one day," I say, starting to walk again.

"Wait, you're famous?" Jak asks slightly surprised while speeding up so he could walk beside me.

"Yeah, where I'm from at least. I'm the champion of the annual winter races, &amp; have the second best racing time ever, the number one spot being held by my mother," I smile while nodding my head.

"That's awesome, but again, how much can you lift?" Daxter says, a little annoyed that his question had been forgotten.

"Oh, sorry. I can lift 175 pounds with one arm, 350 with both my arms, but with my back, I'd say around 700," I list, trying to remember the last time I had lifted for exercise a week ago.

"Daaaayuuumn," Jak and Daxter say in unison, the scent of a mix of fear and amazement immediately coming from each of them.

"If you think that's scary, you should see my mother lift when she's angry, because not only can she lift 2000 pounds, but she can throw that amount one hundred yards with a deadly accuracy," I laugh nervously. As Jak and Daxter look at each other with an expression of horror, I catch a scent of my double-step-uncle Sparx's scent not too far away. I slow down so that I'm right next to Jak, while not changing my footsteps.

"Jak, I think my step-step uncle is following us," I whisper to him while ever so slightly leaning in towards Jak, still keeping my earlier pace. Jak looks at me quickly with wide eyes while just barely nodding. I then begin to pretend to fidget with my chain-mail skirt while walking, feigning the attempt to be inconspicuous to the act.

"Um Jak, Daxter, I need to, uh, go fix my skirt. I'll just go over there, be back in a second," I say slightly louder than I needed to, but still close enough to my tone so it wouldn't be obvious I was lying while pointing at a tree just off the path a little ways. Jak &amp; Daxter fake a surprised nodd as I walk off behind the tree I had pointed to. I walk over to the tree &amp; quickly phase through the ground using my Shadow. Following his scent, I quickly find Sparx hiding behind a brush watching Jak &amp; Daxter. I let off a deep growl while slowly rising up out of the ground behind the dragonfly. Sparx whips around with a terrified look on his face. Before he can react, I snatch him out of the air, but still careful enough to not crush or rub his wings.

"Hey, let me go!" Sparx exclaims, surprised that I had seemed to suddeny appear behind him.

"No," I state simply with an angry edge to my voice. I watch him swallow nervously as I begin to walk back over to Jak &amp; Daxter.

"You will let your double-step-uncle go right now or so help me I will tell your mother," he shouts just before we become visible to the path, trying to threaten me. I make it obvious that his little plan wouldn't work with a simple deep growl coupled with an 'you &amp; I both know that won't work' look. I finally walk close enough to the path to be seen by Jak &amp; Daxter. Daxter bursts into laughter as Jak's expression pulls into that of confusion when they catch sight of Sparx.

"That's your step...step uncle?" Jak asks, a disbelieving look caught on his lips.

"Yes, he is," I say slightly annoyed while releasing Sparx from my iron (to him) grip.

"How? He's a bug, your a dragon," Daxter asks this time.

"He is my step father's step brother," I state simply while watching aforementioned double-step-uncle stretch his back out by pushing his tiny chest forward with his hands behind his back.

"So you're that Jak guy Meldalvyna's told us about last night, I'm Sparx, Mel's double-step-uncle," Sparx says while looking at me through the corner of his eyes with a cocky glare. Jak looks up at me with one of his eyebrows raised quizzitivly.

"What? I had to explain why I came home covered in blood last night," I say exasperatedly.

"_When will Sparx leave_?" I think to myself while listening to Daxter ask my double-step uncle thousands of purposeless questions.

"Hey, if you guys wanna come up &amp; meet the rest of the family, you can. I'm pretty sure Spyro wouldn't mind meeting you two, but it would be this lil' missie's mother you'd have to hide from," Sparx says while pointing to me, the suggestion bringing me out of my current thoughts. I look at Jak &amp; Daxter only them to look at each other in thought, silently asking each other wether or not they were up to the offer.

"Sure, why not? Well, only if you don't mind, Meldalvyna," Jak says, looking to me for approval. Before I can even react, Sparx answers Jak for me.

"She would love for you guys to come over some time. You know what, why not now?" Sparx says with a tone that only the people who know him can identify as teasing.

"Oh Sparx, we can't just invite them over &amp; expect them to come. I mean, Jak &amp; Daxter might have stuff to do later," I say, trying to persuade them not to come.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do, sure," Jak says, ruining my hopes to save my already failing pride from any more embarrassment.

"Alright then, it's settled, follow me," Sparx says while sneaking in a gloating grin pointed at me.

Jak's POV

After Daxter having successfully making me sweat-drop by asking Meldalvyna how much she could lift, then telling me to come over &amp; feel up her shoulders, I put on a fake 'as if' smile &amp; shake my head at him.

"No dude, seriously! She is a fuckin' beast, no offence," he says, grinning sheepily at Meldalvyna with the possibly offensive comment.

"None taken, all my freinds back home used to call me that when I'd beat them in races or in sparring contests" Meldalvyna brags with an amused grin on her face.

"Dude, Jak's the best racer in Haven, Spargus, Kras, everywhere pretty much!" Daxter says, now jumping back onto my shoulder. Going through my racing experiences during my Kras City Grand Championship career, I bounce my head left to right slowly, &amp; come to agree with Daxter with a cocky smile.

"Wow, finally I get to meet another famous racer. Maybe you and I could race one day," Meldalvyna says with a gentle smile as she starts back down the path, taking me completely off guard.

"Wait, you're famous?" I ask surprised while jogging to catch up to Meldalvyna.

"Yeah, where I'm from at least. I'm the champion of the annual winter races, &amp; have the second best racing time ever, the number one spot being held by my mother," she says with a gentle smile gracing her obsidian scaled lips while nodding her head.

"That's awesome, but again, how much can you lift?" Daxter asks again, annoyed that his question was ignored. I was about to smack Daxter in the back of his head when Meldalvyna gives him his answer.

"Oh, sorry. I can lift 175 pounds with one arm, 350 with both my arms, but with my back, I'd say around 700," she says with a thoughtful look on her face. Taken by utter surprise &amp; slight fear, Daxter &amp; I say the same thing at the same time.

"Daaayuuumn," Daxter &amp; I say in unison, fear &amp; awe having taken our thoughts out into broad daylight.

"If you think that's scary, you should see my mother lift when she's angry, because not only can she lift 2000 pounds, but she can throw that amount one hundred yards with a deadly accuracy," Meldalvyna chuckles nervously with a cautious grin her face. Daxter &amp; I can only quickly glance at each other, horrified expressions running rampant &amp; untamed on our faces. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Meldalvyna suddenly stiffen &amp; slow down to meet my own pace. I bring my attention back to her as she slowly leans her head towards my ear with a worried expression on her face.

"**Kiss her, Jak! Kiss her now!**" I hear Dark suddenly scream in the back of my mind, time seeming to slow down to fractions of seconds.

"What! Why?" I ask Dark, taken completely off guard by his frantic command.

"**Dude, she's hot! Don't deny it, I know what you think**," Dark retorts, stating my most confusing feelings about the woman in front of me. I had tried to figure out why I had become so quiet &amp; shy around her the night before.

"Jak, I think my step-step uncle is following us," Meldalvyna whispers just loud enough for Daxter &amp; I to hear, bringing me out of my distracted reverie &amp; shutting Dark up. I look at her with a knowing look &amp; just barely move my head in a nodding motion.

"Her uncle? Her uncle is here? Oh sweet Precursors, let me make a good first impression for once," I metally panic as Meldalvyna drops behind me a few paces, afraid as to what her uncle will react to me. I hear the shifting of Meldalvyna's chain-mail skirt ring out behind me, which is soon joined by the sound of her footsteps approaching me.

"Um Jak, Daxter, I need to, uh, go fix my skirt. I'll just go over there, be back in a second," Meldalvyna says just above her normal tone with a embarrased waiver. I notice she's pointing to a tree not too far from the path. Realizing this was part of her plan, Daxter &amp; I fake a surprised nodd, to which she turns around &amp; starts walking towards the aforementioned tree. As she leaves, I can't help but watch her hips sway as she walks, slightly hidden by her wings. At the very top of her tail, I notice almost blue markings so dark they appeared almost black in the shapes of triangles &amp; diamonds.

"Woah, are those tattoos?" I think to myself, my eyes not leaving her tail.

"_I don't believe those are tattoos, I believe those are just markings. There are similar markings on her shoulders &amp; on her forehead that are slightly hidden by her hair_," I hear Light say in the back of my mind. Before I could think any further about the markings, my subject of 'observation' dissappears behind the tree she had pointed to.

"**Aw man, she went behind the tree**," Dark pouts, also apparently having been just watching Meldalvyna walk. I hear Daxter chuckle lightly on my shoulder, probably knowing exactly what had been going through my head. I look up at him with at 'what are you laughing at' expression on my face.

He simply widens his already large grin while seeming to say 'you were just staring at her butt dude, I saw you' with his eyes. I narrow my eyes angrily at him, to which he only gives me an even larger triumphant smile.

"Hey, let me go!" an unfamiliar masculine voice exclaims somewhere beyond the path out of sight.

"No," Meldalvyna's angry voice replies.

"You will let your double-step-uncle go right now or so help me I will tell your mother," the voice from earlier shouts, threatening Meldalvyna. Daxter bursts into laughter as Meldalvyna steps through a bush just to my left upon seeing her hand clasped around some sort of large glowing insect resembling that of a dragonfly.

"That's your step...step uncle?" I ask, surprised to see that her step uncle was a dragonfly.

"Yes, he is," Meldalvyna says with venom in her voice while releasing the bug from her grip.

"How? He's a bug, your a dragon," Daxter asks with a disbelieving tone.

"He is my step father's step brother," she replies while the step-step uncle stretches his back.

"So you're that Jak guy Meldalvyna's told us about last night, I'm Sparx, Mel's double-step-uncle," the insect says while looking at Meldalvyna out of the corner of his eyes, the voice from earlier apparently belonging to him. I look up at Meldalvyna with a questioning look, surprised that she had told her family about me.

"What? I had to explain why I came home covered in blood last night," she says with an exasperated tone to her voice while Daxter starts to ask Sparx so many random questions without enough time to answer them that I couldn't even keep up.

"Hey, if you guys wanna come up &amp; meet the rest of the family, you can. I'm pretty sure Spyro wouldn't mind meeting you two, but it would be this lil' missie's mother you'd have to hide from," Sparx suggests while pointing at Meldalvyna, bringing my attention away from the female in question to him. I look at Daxter, trying to decide whether or not to agree to the offer.

"Sure, why not? Well, only if you don't mind, Meldalvyna," I say, wanting to clear the deal with Meldalvyna first. Before she can say anything, Sparx answers for her.

"She would love for you guys to come over some time. You know what, why not now?" he says with a strange tone I can't identify.

"Oh, Sparx, we can't just invite them over &amp; expect them to come. I mean, Jak &amp; Daxter might have stuff to do later," Meldalvyna says in a sudden rush.

"Is she trying to tell us not to come?" I think to myself, curious as to why she was acting so strangely.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do, sure," I say after thinking through my options. Upon saying that, I notice Meldalvyna's expression fall to what I think is one of horror.

"Alright then, it's settled, follow me," Sparx says with a barely noticable smile pointed at Meldalvyna as I start to follow the insect further down the path.

As Meldalvyna drops behind me I think to myself "I'm about to go meet Meldalvyna's parents, &amp; he said that Meldalvyna's mother is the one I should hide from. I wonder what her mother looks like?"

**Author's note: **So this chapter had some humor in it, I love how I made Jak get all nervous when Meldalvyna leaned in to his ear. Also how Jak was staring at her 'tail' as she walked towards the tree ^_^! Anyways, this chapter, just like the last one, gave a hint to as what the antagonist of the story is. Remember, an antagonist doesn't have to be a person, it could be a feeling or a force of nature as well. Can anyone guess who or what the antagonist is? Well, until next time, tigerdj98 out!


	15. Meldalvyna's Parents

**Author's note: **Hi everybody! I'm back with yet another chapter for anyone who happens to read this story! In this little chappie, Jak is going to be awestruck and scared s#*!-less by who he's going to meet (insert evil laughter here).

By the way, THIS CHAPTER IS JAK P.O.V ONLY!

**Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs &amp; the places these characters live in, as well as music links**.

Jak's POV

As we continue further down the path, I continue to wonder about what Meldalvyna's parents are going to be like.

"Wait, Sparx said step father. What happened to her biological father?" I question myself while blindly following the yellow, glowing insect infront of me.

"**Maybe he's dead. Hey, I'm not being cruel, I'm saying this sincerely!**" Dark finishes with an annoyed tone, me having mentally growled at him for the comment.

"_Dark, there is no need for that suggestion, though it is quite possible_" Light scorns his Dark Eco twin in the back of my mind. Meldalvyna suddenly speed-walks past me up to her double-step uncle almost scaring me out of my telepathic conversation with my alter-egos. I quicken my pace a little bit to try to listen in on their conversation, trying my best to ignore the markings on Meldalvyna's tail along the way. Before I could hear anything, Meldalvyna notices me getting closer and whipps her head towards me with a curious look on her face.

"What's up?" she asks, now both Sparx and she staring at me.

"Oh, nothing, I thought I was getting left behind," I say with a light chuckle, the statement only being half true. Meldalvyna just raises her eyebrow increduously at me, probably knowing I was lying. After a few seconds of her staring at me, her expression suddenly changes to one like she just remembered something. She suddenly snaps her attention back to Sparx.

"Sparx, it'll take to long to walk to the house, &amp; I'm pretty sure Jak nor Daxter want to risk climbing up the steep cliff just to make it there faster. How will they get to the house?" Meldalvyna blabbs out really fast, not a single breath taken within the entire thing.

"Huh, I didn't think about that," Sparx says, I could practically see the wheels turning in his tiny mind.

"Guys, it's alright, I've got this thing I could use to speed it up," I say while taking my jet-board out of its pack on my back. Meldalvyna walks up to me, curiousity gleaming in her emerald eyes as she looks at the device.

"How do you use it?" she says, her expression leaking into her voice.

"You just ride it pretty much, &amp; you two might want to start flying, this thing goes pretty fast," I say while turning it on &amp; dropping it to the ground where it floats.

"Woah," Sparx &amp; Meldalvyna say simultaneously once it reaches its maximum anti-gravity range, floating a good five or six inches above the ground. The grass underneath the jet-board now teal in the Blue Eco light glowing from the bottom of the contraption. With a devilish grin towards Meldalvyna &amp; her double-step-uncle from both Daxter &amp; me, I jump on my jet-board &amp; whizz down the path before they could react.

"Hey, wait up!" Meldalvyna laughs a short distance behind me, "You don't even know where you're going!"

Realizing this, I slow down a little only to have Meldalvyna flash over my head, closely followed by a slightly slower Sparx. Overcoming my surprise as to just how close she flew to my head, I speed up my pace, catching up with Meldalvyna, passing Sparx in the process.

"_Something tells me that this is going slow to Meldalvyna_" Light says in an thoughtful tone.

"**No kidding**," Dark actually agrees, the same tone to his voice as his Light Eco brother.

"Uh-huh," I mentally reply to the two, silently agreeing with them.

"Turn coming up, has a tree fallen over the path, about two feet thick, clear of branches on top," Meldalvyna calls back to me.

"Thanks," I call back while getting ready for the turn. Sure enough, a hard turn to the left going uphill comes into my field of view with a fallen tree lying across it just as Meldalvyna does a barrel roll in the air to make the turn, tucking her wings in close to her body then spreading them out wide again to level herself out.

Twenty-five minutes later, we reach the top of the high cliff we were next to just a while ago. Turning to the right, Meldalvyna, Sparx, Daxter, &amp; I start to head up a gently sloping hill. Not but a half-hour later, Meldalvyna slows down to a landing just before what I believe is a small clearing. Following suit, Daxter jumps onto my shoulder as I myself jump off my jet-board &amp; jogg up next to Meldalvyna, Sparx finally catching up with us.

"Why are you so cruel to your old double-step-uncle?" Sparx complains, grabbing his back. Meldalvyna just rolls her eyes as Daxter gives the insect a curious look.

"Just how old are you?" Daxter asks sarcastically.

"Well, I hatched at the same time Spyro did, making me abut forty-two," Sparx says dramatically, a sly grin plastered on his face while grabbing his chin. Daxter's jaw drops, looking as if he dislocated it, me just raising my eyebrows in surprise. Noticing Meldalvyna looking impatient, I walk towards the opening of the path, leaving the two to their conversation. She smiles at me as I stand next to her &amp; look out into the clearing. In the clearing is an old run down house, looking as if it was in the process of being repaired, an obviously used chopping block, as well as a huge hammock big enough to hold a ramskull metalhead high up in the trees.

"Well, this is it. Home, sweet-ish, home," Meldalvyna says with a self-conscious smile while jesturing out towards the old building. Just then, Sparx whizzes between us, heading straight for the, now that I notice, gargantuan front door.

"Sparx!" Meldalvyna shouts, trying to grab him out of the air as he goes past.

"Chick, I doubt he can open that door, it's huge, he's tiny," Daxter says while jumping onto Meldalvyna's shoulder.

"You'd be surprised, that door isn't as thick or as heavy as it looks," she replies, walking towards the house. I quickly trot up next to her as I witness, sure enough, Sparx easily opens the door &amp; flies inside, closing the door behind him.

"Spyro, Meldalvyna wants you to meet some people!" I hear Sparx yell from inside the house.

"Okay, where is she?" a deep, yet gentle masculine voice calls back. The voice reminded of Sigs, but gentler &amp; less battle-hardened.

"Thanks," the voice rings out again, this time a little closer to the door. As we near the house, Daxter jumps back to my shoulder as Meldalvyna comes to a stop a good thirty or so feet away from the door &amp; positions herself slightly infront of me. A few seconds later, the door begins to open.

Into the sunlight steps a huge medium-orchid purple dragon with thick horns that curved back &amp; away from the front of the head, much like Dark's horns, but yellowish-orange. On his chin is a horn of a similar color, functioning not unlike my own goatee, &amp; on his large, square head between his horns is an almost webbed ridge of a similar color on the spine, but a transparent, almost tan, yellow webbing going down the creature's spine to its tail like the teeth of a saw. Its wing's spine is the same orange as its horns, while the membrane is the same tanish-yellow as the membrane between the ridges, that same tanish-yellow the color of its plated underbelly &amp; spiked shoulder guards. On the end of his tail was a lage shell-shaped club the same color as the horns, but a bit more of a yellowish tinge to it. The final thing I could notice was his lavender eyes sparkling with a surprised, yet gentle &amp; knowing expression in the cold, late afternoon sunlight. Above all that, the dragon was at least fifteen feet tall, &amp; about the same distance in length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail.

"Meldalvyna, are these the people you wanted me to meet?" Spyro says with a gentle smile &amp; an even gentler tone, gesturing towards me with his snout while closing the huge door with his tail.

"Yes. This is Jak, &amp; this is Daxter," Meldalvyna responds shyly, gesturing to Daxter &amp; I while she said our names.

"Oh, so you must be Jak. Nice to meet you two," Spyro says while sticking out his huge paw for us to shake.

"Nice to meet you too,"I reply while I take the large purple with yellow-padded paw &amp; firmly squeeze it as I finish the greeting, shaking it up &amp; down only once. I have to hold back a chuckle as Daxter grabs Spyro's huge paw, his own orange one fully encased in the large purple one almost up to his elbow. Giving his paw two good shakes, Daxter pulls his own hand out of Spyro's grasp, rubbing his arm where the dragon's grasp had ended with his other paw lightly, as to not be disrespectful.

"We could continue this conversation inside if you like, it is quite cold out here," Spyro offers, gesturing towards the house with his opposite paw.

"Sure, if that's alright with you &amp; Meldalvyna," I reply, rubbing the back of my neck nervously while looking towards the female dragon in question.

"I don't mind," she says nonchalantely, shrugging her shoulders. While nodding at Spyro, Meldalvyna walks infront of me, past her step-father, &amp; opens the door, holding it open. I follow Spyro &amp; Meldalvyna through the door into the surprisingly warm &amp; bright living room, having to go down a few stairs to get to the actual ground floor. Once off the stairs, I notice an old, obviously well-used couch, two large piles of equally large pillows, a tiny little cushioned bench, two hallways, a set of stairs, &amp; a huge fire in the middle of the room.

"You can sit down if you like," Spyro says while walking over to one of the piles of pillows &amp; sitting down. Walking down to the already seated Meldalvyna, I sit down next to her on the old couch, the soft, warn cusions surprisingly comfortable. Suddenly, a curious expression dawns Meldalvyna's face as I lean back into the couch while Daxter takes a seat on the arm of the old loveseat.

"Jak, I just noticed something. Daxter called me a dragon, how did he know that was what I was, well, half of what I am anyway?" she asks me, full attention on my &amp; Daxter's faces, Spyro now looking at me as well.

"Uh, well, a few years ago, this area as well as the forest were infested with metalheads, &amp; there were this one type of metalhead that Daxter &amp; I called metaldragons, but everyone else calls them scout metalheads. I guess Daxter called you guys dragons, because you reminded him of those metalheads," I supply, taken off guard by the sudden question.

"Oh, that makes sense, I've seen those. I remember the first time I saw one of those, I thought it was a dragon too," Meldalvyna says, grinning softly at her small anecdote.

"May I ask you a question, Meldalvyna?" Daxter asks, a curious tone to his voice.

"Sure," she simply replies with a smile.

"Sweet. You said that a dragon was half of what you are, why is that?" he replies, his furry head cocked to the side like a crocadog.

"Oh, uh, I'll tell you guys some other time," she says sadly, looking as if she was betrayed.

"Okay, sorry for asking. That must be a sensitive subject," Daxter apologizes guiltily, the first sad expression I've seen on his face in a long time.

"It's okay, I'm just not ready to tell anyone that yet. Believe me, alot of people have asked me that, but everyone I've told so far look down on me for it," she says, her voice filled with regret.

"It's okay, don't get down on yourself. Daxter &amp; I have secrets that have gotten us bad raps as well. So, whatever yours is, we'll accept you all the same," I interject, telling the truth, trying to cheer her up. She looks from me to Daxter, her eyes filled with relief &amp; curiousity, probably as to what our secrets are.

"Really?" she asks, her voice just above a whisper, Spyro having the same expression &amp; something else mixed together on his reptillian face.

"Really," I reply, my voice gentle. Meldalvyna opens her mouth to say something, but before she can say anything, Spyro's snout snapps into the air sniffing, drawing all three of our attentions to him.

"Your mother is coming, Mel. I'm going outside to greet her," he says without even looking at Meldalvyna while standing up &amp; heading for the door.

"Oh okay, we'll be in here," she replies, also standing.

"**Oh crap. Here comes the parent that Sparx warned us about**," Dark says in the back of my mind, his deep version of my voice echoeing in my head.

"Woah, I've never heard you nervous before," I say telepathically to him, surprised.

"_He's not the only one nervous, all four of us are_," Light adds, also nervous.

"Four?" I ask him curiously.

"_Four with Daxter included_," Light supplies, answering my question.

"**Why should Daxter be scared? He's not the one who has a thing for her daughter**," Dark asks Light increduously.

"Wait, I never said I had a thing for Meldalvyna!" I exclaim mentally.

"**Jak, we share the same mind, we know what you think**," Dark points out, leaving me with no way to counter him.

"_As I was going to say, Dark, Daxter is small, making him possible prey to these large creatures,_" Light says before I could come up with anything to say back to his Dark Eco twin. Before Dark could say anything back to Light, Spyro walks back into the room with a metalhead grunt, the neck in his mouth. Behind him follows a few seconds later the biggest dragon I have yet to see.

She had the same jet-black skin &amp; blood red underbelly as Meldalvyna, the same arrowhead shaped skull only a little narrower, the same Green Eco-emerald green eyes, the same greyish-blue spots underneath the eyes, &amp; even the same navy-blue-almost-black markings on her forehead. Besides these, Meldalvyna &amp; her mother shared really no other similarities that I have noticed so far. I noticed the new-comer had four long white horns, with two smaller white horns jutting from her jaw like some sort of crown, &amp; three equally long white spikes on the back of her neck. On her elbows &amp; ankles are wickedly curved white spikes, &amp; a bigger version of Meldalvyna's white obviously sharp hooked tailblade. The most striking difference between the mother &amp; her daughter was, besides height, was the fact that Meldalvyna's mother didn't look humanoid like her daughter did, though I could tell Meldalvyna wasn't human. They look so much alike, yet so different, Meldalvyna a smaller version of her mother, yet not at all. Suddenly, after sniffing the air, Meldalvyna's mother whipped her head toward Daxter &amp; me, her eyes cold &amp; her scaled face angry &amp; foreboding, a shiver ripping down my spine at the glare.

"**Jak, I'm getting a bad feeling about this one. She's freaking me out, &amp; I'm fearless, that's saying something. I feel like she's done something worse than I could ever do in her past**," Dark says, his usually cocky voice waivering with fear.

"_Dark, I have to agree with you... for once_," Light agrees, his tone of voice mimicking Dark's.

"You must be this _Jak_ that my daughter has been talking about lately," Meldalvyna's mother says, her voice laced with the expression found on her face &amp; in her eyes, scaring me out of my mental conversation with my alter-egos.

"Yes, ma'am, &amp; this is my childhood friend Daxter. You are?" I ask politely, trying my best to not give Meldalvyna's mother a reason to dislike me while also trying to hide my sudden emmense fear of her.

"I'm Cynder, but you can call me Mrs. Jonathan-Elindrea," she replies, her voice still cold as the expression on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jonathan-Elindrea" I reply respectfully, holding my hand out for her to hopefully shake, Daxter following suit. Thankfully, she takes it, &amp; gives it a single hard shake, &amp; does the same to Daxter. Cynder then goes over to the pile of pillows opposite of the one Spyro was last in &amp; sits down, watching me as if I would do something wrong at any moment.

"So, Meldalvyna, what caused you to bring Jak here?" she asks, her attention finally off of me.

"Well, I happened to see him while I was out, &amp; we stopped to walk &amp; talk. Then a little bit later, I caught double-step uncle Sparx spying on us, &amp; he suggested we come here, mother," Meldalvyna replies, the same amount of respect towards her mother that I had held. As soon as these words escaped her mouth, Spyro walks in &amp; sits down on the remaining pile of pillows with a smile, that is until he sees the tense expressions on Cynder's &amp; Meldalvyna's faces, to which it falls to a worried expression.

"Well, Mrs. Jonathan-Elindrea, I can most definately see the resemblence you share with your daughter. You two I bet are always catching stray looks from guys when you walk down the street," Daxter says carefully, trying to ease the smothering tension of the room.

"Yes, quite, &amp; thank you, Daxter, for the complement on our behalf, though flattery is unneccessary," Cynder says, a stone cold, dead glare seeming to stare into Daxter's soul.

"Oh, okay, just trying to create a conversation," Daxter says guiltitly, his voice just above a whisper. The room then stays silent for what seems like forever, glances being passed between the other inhabitants of the room.

"Spyro, I am going to go rest for a little while," Cynder says suddenly while standing up, looking at Spyro, her eyes now much softer than they were before.

"Oh, alright. Dinner will be ready in an hour, so don't drift too far into sleep, love," Spyro says with an almost upset tone to his voice as Cynder leaves after giving him a simple nodd before she dissappears into the only other hall in the room.

"Sorry about that, Cynder can be a bit grouchy after a late afternoon metalhead run, she's not usually like that," Spyro says as soon as a door is heard closing somewhere down the hall, an apologetic smile spread sadly across his plum-colored face.

"That &amp; she's over-protective of me," Meldalvyna adds, an angry expression greatly resembling that of her mother's.

"Meldalvyna, don't speak about your mother like that," Spyro scorns, quietly whispering.

"Well, it's true, you know it is," she retorts, her arms crossed while looking down &amp; away. Spyro simply huffs in defeat, making Meldalvyna's statement true.

"And Daxter, thank you for that kind complement. Trust me when I say that my mom liked the complement, it's just she doesn't really trust the Freedom League, since a lot of the recruits in it also served the Krimson Guard," Meldalvyna says, a sad smile crossing her face.

"It's alright, the Freedom League Cheif of Arms is the same way. You know, I bet they'd get along pretty nicely, either that or butt heads due to their similarities," I say with a gentle smile, trying to rid the room of the slowly fading tension.

"Yes, Meldalvyna, Sparx, &amp; I have repeatedly tried to convince her against her mistrust towards the Freedom League, but every time we tried, she'd still refuse to believe us," Spyro says with a look I couldn't recognize splashed on his face.

"It's alright, I'm used to people doing that to me, maybe not to that degree that Mrs. Jonathan-Elindrea used, but still, I'm used to it," I say, trying to convince them I was alright with the way Cynder had treated me.

"Hm, alright then, if it doesn't bug you, then I guess I won't pry on it more. Oh, will you two be staying for dinner?" Spyro asks with a gentle smile.

"No thank you, Daxter &amp; I ate before we came here. Besides, I should probably get going, Torn's going to have my head if I don't come back soon," I reply, noticing it was dark outside, though that didn't matter, I can see perfectly in the dark thanks to the 'enhancements' Dark made to my senses of vision, smell, &amp; hearing.

"Spyro, do you mind if I walk with Jak to the lock?" Meldalvyna asks when I'm about to step on the first stair leading up to the front door, stopping me mid-step with her question.

"Yes, as long as Jak &amp; Daxter don't mind," her step-father replies, looking up at me. I look between Daxter, Meldalvyna, &amp; Spyro, trying to come up with a decision. Daxter simply shrugs with a smile, Meldalvyna looks at me hopefully, &amp; Spyro looks at me with a gentle smile, which I think the smile was supposed to be encouraging.

"**Jak, just say yes**," Dark sighs annoyed at my timidness.

"Yeah, the company would be nice," I say with a smile at Meldalvyna, who returns my smile with an excited one.

"Alright, but bring a torch, I know you can see in the dark, but Jak might not be able to, &amp; be back before dinner," Spyro says while handing an already brightly burning torch to Meldalvyna.

"Okay, I will," Meldalvyna says while walking up to my side, hooking her own arm around my arm whose hand was currently in my pants' pocket.

"She-she's wrapped her arm around mine," I think to myself, blocking both Light &amp; Dark off from this thought, saving it for myself, surprised by her sudden move. Walking out into the cold November night, a shiver somewhere between chilled from the cold &amp; nervous from having Meldalvyna so close.

"Wow, would you look at that," Daxter says from my shoulder, looking up at the beautifully starred sky.

"It's beautiful, for a Haven City night sky, anyway," Meldalvyna says with a devilish grin spread across her smooth obsidian skin.

"Well, then, just how _bea-uutiful_ is the night sky where you're from, sweetcheeks?" Daxter asks sarcastically, while I just raise an eyebrow at her.

"Well, where I'm from, you can see the stars with _no_ smog, &amp;, if it's the right time of year, two or three giant planets so close that they look as if they're about to crash into the planet," she brags, her arm untangled from mine to cross over her chest in triumph.

"No kidding?" Daxter says, a critical smile spread on his fur-covered face.

"No kidding," Meldalvyna repeats, her cocky smile still on her thin lips.

"Woah," Daxter says, falling uncharacteristically quiet for the third time today. After a few minutes of walking in silence, I come up with an idea to learn more about the female next to me that has most definately had all of my thoughts as of late.

"Hey Meldalvyna, you want to play a 'get-to-know-you' game?" I ask her while looking straight into her bright green eyes.

**Author's note: ****_PLEASE READ THIS:_** Well, this chapter was huge &amp; took me a couple days to write... At least this is my largest chapter so far, so super YAY! Can anyone guess the antagonist is of this story? I won't tell if you're right, I'll just say like "One person who has reviewed has gotten it right so far." But I will say this, in chapters 13, 14, &amp; 15 (this one), huge hints have been given to as what the antagonist is. I'll leave you guys to figure it out, tigerdj98 OUT!


	16. Getting to Know Jak

**Author's note: **Hi anyone who reads this story! THIS IS A MELDALVYNA POV CHAPTER ONLY!

**Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, the places these characters live in, &amp; music links**.

Meldalvyna's POV

"Hey Meldalvyna, you want to play a 'get-to-know-you' game?" Jak asks, looking me straight in the eyes, making me almost jump in surprise from his sudden question. I look at him, trying to figure just what he's planning, Daxter mirroring my look from Jak's shoulder. Not being able to figure out Jak's motive, I give up &amp; answer him.

"Sure I guess, how do you want to play?" I ask, thinking I could find out what he wanted indirectly if I went along with his game. He smiles in response, the light from the torch lighting up his handsome &amp; kind face, especially his deep pools of dark blue eyes I felt like drowning in that seemed nervous at the moment.

"Well, we take turns telling each other secrets about ourselves, starting with small secrets that you'd tell a new freind or something, &amp; slowly build up from there to the big secrets," Jak replies, his almost beckoning smile still plastered on his face.

"Oh, so a secret for a secret?" I ask, now realizing where this was going.

"Yes, &amp; don't worry, we will keep the secrets you tell us," he says, the nervousness slowly melting away in his eyes.

"Okay, I'll play your game, _if_ _you_ go first," I say, wanting Jak to set the level for the secrets to be told. Jak gives me a strangely playful look as if to say 'really' and grins, a small chuckle escaping his throat.

"Alright then, are you going to play, Dax?" Jak asks, looking up to his freind perched on his shoulder expectantly.

"Nah, I'll just listen in, you know all my secrets anyway," Daxter replies with an apologetic smile, his fur color barely affected by the fire light. Jak nodds in agreement with Daxter's statement, making me think theses two have known eachother for a very long time.

"Alrighty then, uhm, got one, Daxter &amp; I have been freinds since as far back as we can remember," Jak says, only taking a second to come up with the first one.

"I could have guessed that one. Anyways, uh, the place I come from is called Warfang," I say, having already decided what the first thing I was going to say was. Daxter cocks his head to the side, his eyes flashing back &amp; forth in thought.

"I don't think I've heard of that place before. Where is that?" Jak asks, giving me a thoughtful look himself.

"You'll have to tell me a few secrets first," I reply, a playful smile spreading across my lips.

"Fine then, when Dax &amp; I were younger, Daxter got turned into an ottsel," Jak says while looking at me with a triumphant smile.

"Wait, Daxter was a human once?" I almost yell, completely taken off guard by this surprising revelation.

"Tell me a secret first, &amp; I'll tell you how that happened," he replies, his smile still splashed on his handsomely thin lips.

"Ugh, you're impossible. Fine, Warfang does not exist on this side of the UniPortal," I say, trying to out-do Jak's awesome secret.

"Wait, so you're an alien?!" Daxter squeals, surprised.

"Please answer that one after I answer your question. We were on Misty Island, a place where we weren't supposed to go, &amp; we had found an open silo of Dark Eco. Daxter got too close &amp; I found a red eco bomb, though I didn't know it at the time. Well, when Daxter I were looking at the thing as it turned on in my hand, a Lurker caught us by surprise. Dax went to stand behind me, &amp; I threw the bomb at the Lurker's face. The thing blew up as soon as it hit, sending me backwards into Dax, &amp; Daxter into the Dark Eco pit, &amp; after a few seconds, he flew back out as an ottsel," Jak says in a descriptive pace &amp; tone.

"Wow. That's crazy, I believe you though. And no, the Father of Dragons, the first ever dragon to ever have all elements at his power, before the existance of the purple dragons, separated the human &amp; dragon worlds with his magic, but left an everlasting link between the two halves of the once huge planet, the UniPortal. As an idea of how long ago that is said to be, this was said to happen as your Precursors were still alive &amp; not yet gods," I say, trying to patch up the confusion between Daxter &amp; I.

"Jeez, that's crazy. Uhm... AHA... I can completely control the Green, Red, Yellow, &amp; Blue Ecos," Jak says, yet again amazing me to near speechlessness.

"You know you're going to have to show me that one day, anyways, I have four elements, while most other dragons can only use one, the only others that can do that being my parents, the first purple dragon, &amp; the Father of Dragons," I say, trying to match Jak's secret.

"Wow, you're going to have to show me those, too. I can, uh... use two more ecos," Jak says, a self concious look overtaking his face.

"Wait, the only two Ecos that would be left are Dark &amp; Light Eco," I say, now realizing why he had been nervous earlier.

"Yeah, those are the smaller parts of my bigger secrets, if that makes any sense," Jak says, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh. The Elements are Fire, Electricity, Ice, Earth, Poison, Fear, Wind, Shadow, Dark Fury, and Light Fury, &amp; I have the last four before the furies," I say, now also becoming self-conscious.

"Oh, so the Wind element is what let you put out that fire in a single breath yesterday, that makes sense. Anyway, I'm the person who killed Baron Praxis, the metalhead leader Kor, &amp; Errol, I think it was, at least, three years ago," Jak says, taking the torch from my hand &amp; leaving my side to walk towards a puddle.

"That was you? Wow, I'd never have guessed. The first war that my parents fought in, they fought on opposite sides of the war... the other dragons still fear my mother" I say, sadness reaching my voice. Jak stops his progress towards the puddle as he &amp; Daxter both look at me with surprise on their faces, trying to connect the dots.

"Wait, Jak, what are you doing?" I ask, realizing Jak was about to put out the torch.

"From the Dark &amp; Light Eco, I have to kind of... share my body... with entities of these Ecos that, time to time, take over. And from the Dark Eco, I can see perfectly fine in the dark, like you," Jak explains, dropping the torch into the puddle, it immediately sputtering out, darkness surrounding all three of us. Immediately my eyes adjust to the darkness to see Jak walking back towards me, not faltering even once.

"I'm guessing the fact you have Dark &amp; Light Eco in you one of your biggest secrets?" I ask as Jak slips his arm around mine, looking directly into my eyes.

"Yeah, my second largest one," he replies with a small smile.

"Okay, my mother was under the control of the Malefor, the Dark Master, the first purple dragon, &amp; my step-father, the second purple dragon, released my mother from his grasp, but not before my mother had killed hundreds of other dragons with her own claws, &amp; almost succeeded in killing my step-father. I'm sorry if that wasn't a lot, you should ask my mother about it when she gets used to you," I say carefully, no longer looking at Jak. I could feel both Jak's &amp; Daxter's eyes on my face, but I refused to look away from the ground as it passed step by step under my feet. Suddenly Jak releases my arm &amp; walks infront of me, turns, &amp; grabs my shoulder with his left hand, lifting my head to meet his gaze with his right, stopping me in my tracks.

"I don't care what your mother did in the past, though it will help me understand your mother better, I started this game to learn about you, not your mother. What she did won't change my opinion of you," Jak said looking into my eyes, gently shaking his head side to side. All I could do to respond was to swallow the lump that had taken place in my throat &amp; nodd my head gently.

"Now, my largest secret is that I'm _the_ Mar, &amp; I've time traveled apparently twice throughout my life so far," Jak says in a single breath, watching my face for any facial expression.

"Your Mar? But I thought Mar was dead," I gasp, trying my hardest to connect the dots.

"Yes, he did, in the past, but I'm Mar as well, so I guess I have at least one more time-travel trip to do," Jak says, his voice now soft. I simply couldn't connect the dots, I've met the one &amp; only Mar, way past the day he was supposed to die, but, the legends never said where he came from, only what he was capable of, so, with this all floating in my head, I nodded, giving up on trying to figure this huge revelation out.

"Meldalvyna?" Jak asks, his face now filled with sad worry.

"I give up, I simply give up," I say, forcing a smile onto my face.

"On what?" Jak asks, his worry greatening as I place a hand over my face, dragging it down my features exasperatedly.

"On trying to figure out how you're Mar, I believe you, it's just hard to figure out how it's possible," I say with a small laugh as I drop my hand to my side, only to wrap it once again around Jak's a second later. A scent of happiness immediately comes off Jak as he simply drops his forhead onto my shoulder with a smile on his face, a huge sigh, &amp; a small nervous laugh.  
"So, what's your biggest secret?" Jak asks from my shoulder, a tone of relief to his voice. I begin to walk forward before I answer to get Jak's head off me, because couldn't tell if he knew I was blushing, &amp; I hope he couldn't see me doing it either. Luckily for me, he lifts his head from my shoulder, a smile on his face.

"My largest secret is ... Daxter what's that face for?" I ask, interrupting myself when I notice that Daxter had some strange grin on his face.

"Nothin'," he replies, the strange smile immediately falling off his face. Unable to tell if he was lying to me or not, I continue with what I was going to say.

"My biggest secret is that I'm only half dragon," I say, not wanting to reveal the full truth.

"You don't have to worry about me judging you, I have two Eco entities talking to me in my head all the time, one is exremely violent, while the other is all peacefull &amp; shit," Jak says laughing, looking me in the eyes again.

"Either that, or you're crazy," I tease, poking Jak in the chest gently.

"Crazy? Sure, just tell me what the other half of you is, &amp; I'll admit to it," Jak smiles, poking me back in the stomach. I take a deep breath, then let out the second half of my biggest, deepest secret.

"I'm half human as well," I say, not looking at Jak. I could smell the scent of surprise coming off of Jak &amp; Daxter coming off almost in waves. Afraid to see an expression of horror spread across their faces, I slowly turn my head back towards the two. Instead of what I feared to see, a look of utter surprised curiousity was crossed on their faces, the expression slowly turning to that of understanding.

"You know, that makes sense!" Daxter suddenly shouts, nearly making me jump with its suddeness. Jak gives him a look that seemed to say 'I think I see where you're going with this,' then turns his head to me.

"What makes sense?" I ask, feeling like I was out of the loop.

"Why you don't really look like your mother, yet look exactly like her at the same time, only smaller &amp; with hair," Jak answers for Daxter, who could only smile &amp; nodd his head in agreement.

"So, you're not surprised that I'm a hybrid?" I ask, completely confused.

"A little, but hey, not really the most surprising thing we've seen, no offense," Daxter says shrugging his shoulders.

"None taken, what's the most surprising thing you've seen, then?" I ask, slightly getting annoyed at my confusion.

"Seeing an old man turn into the metalhead leader Kor right infront of us," Daxter says, a creeped out look on his face to whatever he was thinking of. Suddenly, I become aware that we're infront of the lock, Jak's hand still in mine. After a few seconds, Jak realizes the same thing, then looks me in the eye for the umpteenth time that night.

"Well, I guess it's time for Dax &amp; I to go," Jak says with a low voice, now standing infront of me, his back to the lock.

"Yeah," I reply just as softly, looking Jak back in the eye to see something stirring in his mind.

"What time do you want me to meet you tomorrow?" he asks suddenly, his expression not changing.

"Why?" I ask, curious as to why he'd ask me that.

"Do you trust me?" he asks in exchange, again taking me off guard.

"Yeah, enough to watch my back in a fight, why?" I reply, becoming more &amp; more curious.

"I need to tell you something. I wasn't sent here at first to my own accord. I was sent here on a mission to see if I could find a mystery creature in the forrest, &amp; it ended up being you &amp; your family. Last night, Dax recorded you &amp; I fighting together, even I didn't know about it, &amp; showed it to Torn earlier today. After that, Torn wanted me to bring you to him to speak to you about joining the Freedom League. He said that the Freedom League could use an excellent fighter such as yourself," Jak says looking down at his feet. Mirroring Jak's movements from earlier, I slip my hand out of his to lift his head to face mine &amp; look into his eyes.

"Whatever time is good for you to pick me up, I'll wait right here if you want me to," I reply, trying to sound encourageing. A look of excitement comes to Jak's face as I practically say yes to everything he just asked me.

"What about your mom, what will she think?" Jak asks, his concerned expression coming back to his face.

"Well, I'll tell her tonight that you were the one who got rid of Baron Praxis &amp; MetalKor, &amp; if that doesn't convince her, she can suck it, 'cause I'm nineteen &amp; about to be twenty, &amp; I can obaviously handle myself," I reply with a defiant grin. Jak smiles to what I had said, &amp; Daxter literally falls off his perch laughing on the ground.

"Okay, how does one pm sound to you?" Jak asks, the smile staying on his face as Daxter climbs back up onto his left shoulder.

"Perfect to me, I'll be here, but one question, how will you get me into the city to meet Torn?" I ask, the problem suddenly coming to my mind.

"Uh, well, we could an escort for us if you want, or if you have any other idea?" Jak suggests, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, I usually get into the city by wearing gloves, boots, a fake hood with sleeves, &amp; wrapping my wings around myself to make it look like I'm wearing a hooded cloak all together, but we could go with the air tran zoomer escort, any way is fine with me," I reply willingly.

"I guess escort by air tran zoomer it is," Jak says, letting go of my hand.

"Okay, see you tomorrow then," I say, expecting Jak to turn his back &amp; walk into the city.

"See you tomorrow, Meldalvyna," Jak says softly while hugging me, taking me off guard. After he let go, he walked to the lock, opened it, walked into the small chamber, &amp; turned to wave to me as the door closed automatically behind him. I stared at the door for a few seconds in shock from the hug, then turned to fly home &amp; tell my parents what I had just agreed to.

**Author's note: **Well, that was, I now realize, an extremely boring chapter. I had intended it to be more emotional &amp; funny, but it came out, well, blah! Sorry about the boring chapter, lets just hope the next one is a bit more entertaining. tigerdj98 out!


	17. Seeing Torn

**Author's note: **Hello everybody who actually still read this story! As usual, on with the story, but before that, the rights ...

**Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, the places these characters live in, &amp; music links.** Now, for real this time... ON WITH THE STORY!

P.S: I AM TRYING DIALECT WITH DAXTER IN THIS CHAPTER, SO PLEASE, BEAR WITH ME!

Jak's POV

As I walk through the inside door that leads into the city, I chance to look up a Daxter only to see him giving me an evocative smile.

"What are you smiling about?" I ask him rudely, only to make his smile grow even more.

"I see wha yer tryin' ta do, yer puttin' the moves on Meldalvyna!" Daxter laughs with his revelation as I walk down to the zoomer. I could literally feel the blood rushing to face with embarassment.

"I am not!" I yell back at him defiantly as I jump on the vehicle.

"Well, I wasn't thinking of it like that..." I add in my head, Dark sniggering at the thought while Light just gives a single chuckle.

"Well then, wha was that hug back there fer?" Daxter asks, the suggestive smile still on his face before I could start the zoomer.

"I don't know, it was just a 'see-you-later' kind of hug," I say glaring, still trying to defend from myself Daxter's constant badgering.

"Sure it was, sure it was," Daxter says with a light chuckle, finally letting it drop when I start the vehicle. Thankfully, the ride is silent as I make my way too the Freedom League HQ. As I get off the cobalt-blue zoomer, I notice Daxter starts to smile mischievously like earlier.

"I swear Dax, if you bring up the hug, I'll shave your entire upper half bald," I threaten when I realize what the smile is about directly outside the HQ's door. Successfully entering in the code to the door, I walk down the familiar hallway and into the main room of the Freedom League Head Quarters. Standing over his desk as usual, I see Torn looking down at multiple maps &amp; other nonspecific papers strewn about the desktop. Upon clearing my throat, Torn looks up from his work &amp; gives a small smile.

"Hello Jak, Daxter, how'd talking with Meldalvyna go?" he asks once he sees us.

"Perfect, actually. She's coming tomorrow, and wants to be picked up at one pm by air-tran," I say with a triumphant smile while sitting down in one of the chairs across from Torn. He looks up at me with a shocked look, staring me straight in the eyes before responding.

"How? I gave you at least a week to gain her trust," Torn replies, still not believing how fast I did my job.

"Well, we were talking while walking down a path, &amp; her double-step uncle shows up, ends up offering to go meet the rest of the family, which I do, &amp; I meet &amp; talk with her step-father &amp; her mother," I say quickly by steadily. Torn takes a minute to let what I said sink in, only to get an extremely confused expression a second later.

"Wait, did you say her double-step uncle?" he asks, looking back up at me from his thoughts.

"Yeah, his name is Sparx, &amp; he is her step-father Spyro's step-brother," I explain in the easiest way I can without trying to make him think I was talking to him as if he's stupid.

"Oh, so the only person she is actually related to is her mother?" Torn asks while nodding his head, understanding what I had told him.

"Yes, Meldalvyna's only blood relative in their house is her mother, Cynder, or as she told me to call her in her presence, Mrs. Jonathan-Elindrea," I respond with a small smile on my face at the amount of information I could provide. Torn's confused expression turns to one of pride as he smiles at me.

"Okay, so you said at one pm by air-tran?" he asks, the smile never leaving his face. I nod in response while standing up after having noticed what time it is.

"See you tomorrow, Torn," I say with a sideways smile &amp; while suppressing a yawn.

"Alright, see you tomorrow," Torn replies, looking back to his papers. On the way home, I drop off Daxter at the Naughty Ottsel's, arriving at my apartment only five minutes later. Sleepily, I trudge into my home &amp; toss my keys onto a small table near the door. I slowly walk into my room to get out some clean clothes to wear to bed &amp; some for the next day to wear. Leaving the clothing for the next day at the foot of my bed, I take the other set of clothes into the bathroom. Peeling off my clothing drowsily, I step in the shower &amp; turn on the hot water. Twenty minutes later I step out, the steam billowing out the door as I open the bathroom door. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm asleep in a dreamless, yet not restless, slumber. I hear my alarm going off and slap at the annoying device.

"Ugh, who invented the alarm clock? Sleep good, alarms bad," I think groggily while looking at the little device.

"_Yes, while sleep may be good &amp; all, must I remind you that you're forgetting something, or, in better terms, someone?_" Light asks, prodding me mentally. Realizing what he meant when I read the time, which was eleven fifty-nine am, I leap out of bed &amp; start putting on my clothes &amp; gear hurriedly.

"**Yeah, now you remember. You know, I think its the fact that Meldalvyna being involved is making Jak go fast, do you agree Light?**" Dark teases, actually trying to gain support from his Light Eco twin.

"_Yes, I do agree,_" Light concurs, taking me by surprise. I ignore the two as they continue tease as I get ready. Once dressed, I rush into the kitchen to eat a bowl of cereal. Throwing the plastic bowl and metal spoon when I finish into the sink, I rush into the bathroom. I quickly brush my teeth, scrubbing the surfaces until my arms hurt. Spitting out the last of the toothpaste, I grab my comb &amp; neaten up my hair, as it was still messy from the shower the night before. I throw my comb back into its place, run out into the living room, &amp; pick up my cellphone to call Daxter.

"Hey Jak, wha's shakin'?" Daxter asks when he picks up. Before I answer, I take in a huge calming breath.

"Are you coming with me to pick up Meldalvyna from the forest?" I ask him, half hoping he will say no so I don't keep Meldalvyna waiting for me.

"Na Jak, I can't, Tess wants me ta 'elp 'er with runnin' the bar t'day, sorry," Daxter says, a sad tone to his normally cheery voice.

"No, that's alright, I just woke up fifteen minutes ago anyways," I say with a nervous laugh.

"Dude, it's goin' ta take ya forever just to get one 'a dem air-trans!" Daxter laughs, I could almost hear his smile over the phone.

"I know, I know! Well, see you later, Dax. Tell Tess I said hi," I say with a smile, trying to wrap up the conversation.

"Alright, see you later too, bye," Daxter says, finally hanging up. I shove my phone into my pocket, grab my zoomer &amp; apartment keys, &amp; rush out &amp; lock the door, run down the stairs two at a time, &amp; sprint outside to my medium-blue zoomer. I jump on, start the vehicle, &amp; speed all the way to the Freedom League's Special Transportation building. Once there, I nearly shout with joy when I see that there is nobody in line, actually, nobody but the person at the desk is in the room besides me.

"I need a air-tran to land just outside the Haven Forest Lock with me in it at one pm today," I say with a stern tone once I calm down, trying to get the clerk to move as fast as possible. The man looks up at me with a bored expression &amp; hands me a form to fill out.

"Thank you," I say over my shoulder as I walk over to the fill-out area. While filling out the paper, I can't help but look up at the clock on the wall. To my horror, the time reads twelve twenty-nine. I scribble down the rest of the form in two minutes &amp; stand up so fast that the chair falls over. Not even bothering with setting the chair upright, I run back up to the clerk &amp; hand him the paper to scan, earning an exasperated look from the man. Taking the paper from me, he seems to be moving in slow motion as he puts the the form through the scanner. Four minutes later, the clerk finishes processing the paper to my relief.

"The air-tran &amp; the two drivers will be waiting for you outside the Freedom League HQ, have a nice day," the man says with an almost robotic voice as I throw a thanks over my shoulder while running through the doors to my zoomer. I start my cobalt-blue zoomer as soon as I get on, racing off to the Freedom League HQ. Sure enough, I see the air-tran with its two drivers waiting for me as I pull up next to the large, gravity-defying vehicle. The two men salute me, which I return before jumping into the back of the vehicle, it taking off before I could sit down. Walking up to the front of the air-tran, I stretch my neck to try to see the time display, but can't see it.

"Hey you two, what time is it?" I ask the drivers, who both glimpse back at me.

"Don't worry Commander Jak, we'll be landing at exactly one pm," the driver to the left says, a smile evident in his voice.

"Yeah, we can open the back as we land if you want, too," the driver on the right laughs, going as far as tipping his head back slightly while he laughed.

"Thanks, I might be up for that too," I reply with a light chuckle of my own, heading back to sit down. Nineteen minutes later, I feel the air-tran begin to land. I shout over to the drivers to open the back hatch as I stand &amp; grab the support strap hanging from the ceiling as the door opens, &amp; sure enough, I see Meldalvyna watching the air-tran landing, a black hood the same color as her skin with silver accents covering her head, a pair of silver combat boots, and silver gloves, &amp; a large bag in her right hand made out of metalhide.

Meldalvyna's POV

While I fly, I think about the ways I could convince my mother into letting me join the Freedom League. I run through each scenario, only to find that, more likely than not, each one ending with Cynder getting angry. To my dismay, I realize I must have been flying faster than I thought as I see my house come into view. Dismissing any thoughts of possibilities, I decide to wing it &amp; pray to the Ancestors &amp; the Precursors that my convincing will work on my mom. Slowly, I come to a landing outside the house's huge front door &amp; take a deep breath. I push open the door &amp; walk in with a calm expression to see Cynder &amp; Spyro laying on their piles of pillows &amp; Sparx reclined on his little cushioned bench lightly munching on their respective dinners.

"So Mel, I see you've _finally_ decided to join us for dinner," Sparx says exaggeratedly once he notices my presence, drawing all remaining eyes to me.

"Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to get back," I apologize, realizing that dinner was already over.

"Where have you been?" my mother asks me, a cold glare in her eyes matching her suspicious tone, more than likely smelling Jak's scent mixed with mine.

"I walked with Jak to the Haven Mountain Pass &amp; Forest Lock," I respond, trying to keep myself calm while grabbing some food to eat from the kitchen. The expression in Cynder's eyes lighten to something that wasn't in any way harsh as I walk over &amp; sit on my couch.

"Yeah, after you went to rest, they left together... arm in arm," Sparx teases while looking at me, a huge cocky smile spread across his tiny head. My mother looks between Sparx, Spyro, &amp; me, a small knowing grin spreading across her face.

"Actually, I need to talk to you, mom, &amp; you too, dad," I say slowly, slightly surprised by Cynder's smile, though I know it was a teasing one.

"What is it, Meldalvyna?" my step-father asks, concern branching across his usually cheery face.

"Um, well, I'll start at the beginning, when Jak &amp; I walked out together..." I start, taking a deep breath, watching my mother nervously for a negative change of expression. I spill out the entire night before I had returned home, not even sparing a single detail to keep to myself.

"And, so, he told me that he was sent on a mission to get me to join the Freedom League. And, well, I accepted the offer, &amp; he's picking me up at one tomorrow to meet Torn," I finally finish after half an hour, Cynder's face becoming more &amp; more unreadable as I went along, I couldn't tell what she was feeling, even her scent was confusing me.

"So, Spyro, what do you think?" I ask my step-father, too nervous to ask my mother what she thought of my decision.

"I think you should do what you think is right, but, don't let a boy decide that for you," he answers with an unsure smile, both supporting &amp; advising me at the same time. I nod, taking his advice to heart, knowing that the 'boy' was Jak.

"Sparx, what about you?" I ask my double-step uncle next, trying to avoid making eye-contact with Cynder.

"It's alright with me, just be safe," he replies, the same look on his face as his step-brother. With a nod to Sparx, I finally look to my mother. To my surprise, her expression isn't angry, neither is her scent. Her expression &amp; scent was a mixture of sadness, confusion, pride, &amp; something else I couldn't identify.

"Mom, what do you think?" I ask Cynder, confused &amp; worried by the way she was acting.

"What time did Jak say he'd pick you up tomorrow?" she asks me instead, surprising me with her question.

"One pm, why?" I both answer &amp; ask at the same time, wondering if she was giving me complete permission. With a nod, I could tell she was thinking about what to say next.

"Will there be more humans there besides Jak?" Cynder asks after a few seconds, looking me dead in the eye.

"Well, he said he'd pick me up in an air-tran, &amp; there are usually two drivers, so I guess so," I reply, sitting back into my couch in thought. After a few seconds of silence, my mother breaks the quiet.

"Sparx, I want you to go with Meldalvyna tomorrow, but stay in the bushes, &amp; you, young lady, I want you to wear you're disguise in case there are more than just Jak there," Cynder says to my double-step uncle &amp; me, surprising me even more. For a few seconds, I simply stare at her in utter disbelief, unsure whether or not to believe her.

"Wait, so, if the interview with Torn goes well, I can join the Freedom League?" I ask excitedly, still not believing what I had heard.

"Yes, on two conditions," my mother says, a cold negotiative air about her tone.

"_Of course, I should've seen this coming_," I think to myself, feeling stupid for not suspecting as much.

"What conditions," I ask, my thoughts racing at what her conditions could be.

"One, you put half of your pay towards fixing the house until it is fully repaired. Two, you raise through the ranks as fast as you possibly can," Cynder answers, her face &amp; scent completely serious until the second condition, the last ending with an encouraging smile. With an absolutely elated squeal, I leap up &amp; hug my mother tightly around the neck, bouncing up &amp; down in the proccess.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I won't disappoint you, I promise," I yell happily, a smile on everyone's face in the room, including my mother's. I finish eating then rush up the stairs to my room. As I rush in, I slam the door shut, strip off my dragon-steel clothes, set my alarm for ten-thirty, &amp; get into my cloth pajamas. I gather up the pieces to my disguise &amp; set them on my bedside table in a flash. Unable to wait for tomorrow, I dive into bed, blowing out my candles with a single use of Wind. Excitement plagues my mind for several long minutes, slowly exhausting myself with my own elated thoughts. Finally, after an hour of tossing &amp; turning, I fall asleep into a dreamless slumber with a smile planted on my face.

A loud, obnoxious beeping fills my room, causing me to fling myself into a sitting up position, the beeping having scared me out of my sleep. I stand up quickly &amp; turn off the annoying device. I out of my room &amp; groggily walk down the stairs &amp; into the kitchen, following the scent of cooking metalhead meat, stumbling all the way.

"Morning, Mel," Spyro says with a grin while setting a plate of metalhead ham infront of me as I sit down. I give off a tired, happy moan in thanks before digging into my breakfast.

"Meldalvyna, the Freedom League requires armor, does it not?" Cynder asks after swallowing a bite of her own breakfast.

"Yeah," I answer, after taking a bite of my food.

"I think you should bring your fighting armor, they'll probably not have any armor that you could use there," she says, looking at me dead on again.

"Oh yeah, I didn't even think of that," I say, realizing I had completely overlooked that fact. I eat the last of my ham, wash my plate, rush upstairs to grab my day clothes, &amp; run back down stairs. I quickly get Spyro to prepare me a bath, shoo him out once it was warm enough, &amp; get in to quickly scrub myself clean, then get out to get dressed, &amp; brush my hair &amp; teeth. Once done &amp; dressed, I run back up the stairs to grab my metalhide bag &amp; fill it with my fighting armor, putting on my disguise in the process.

I look at the clock to see that it was exactly twelve o'clock, meaning I still have forty minutes before I have to leave. I walk down stairs with my armor-filled bag in hand &amp; into the living room, only to sit down on my couch a second later, unable to think of something to do. Ten minutes later, I decide to eat the left-overs from the breakfast for lunch, then go back upstairs to brush my teeth again. Once done, I return down stairs &amp; take to shining my armor &amp; making sure it all fit. I try on each piece of armor, satisfied it all still fit. This process takes twenty-five minutes, &amp; I put it all back in the bag &amp; decide to make my leave.

"See you guys later, come on Sparx!" I shout inside as I exit the door, getting a mixture of wishes of good luck &amp; pieces of advice in response. As soon as Sparx lets go of the door, I take off into the air with my bag in hand &amp; all of my disguise still on. I fly as fast as I can, not at all wanting to be late. Ten minutes later I land at the agreed rendezvous with Sparx dropped behind me ten feet, a record time for me, &amp; put up my hood. Right on time, I hear the sound of a large zoomer over head &amp; look up to see a blue Freedom League slowly coming down, the back opening to reveal Jak standing there waiting with a smile on his face as the vehicle came to land.

"Hey Meldalvyna, you ready?" Jak asks happily once the engines cut.

"Yeah, I'm ready," I say excitedly while walking towards the open hatch in the back of the air-tran, Jak following me closely. When the hatch closes, the engines start back up as I sit down on one of the steel benches, the sound barely audible inside the air-tran. Jak signals to the two drivers, &amp; the foreign feeling of raising upwards _inside_ a stationary object scares me.

"First time on an air-tran?" Jak asks with a smile once he sees my expression while walking over to sit on the opposite side of the vehicle, &amp; all I could do in response is quickly nod. Besides a laugh from Jak, the remainder of the ride goes in silence until the air-tran lands &amp; the door opens. I follow Jak out of the back while pulling back up my hood &amp; to a small building not even twenty feet away, wait for him to type in a code, &amp; down a hall of stairs, &amp; into a small room.

"Chief of Arms Torn, I'd like you to meet Meldalvyna," Jak says while in a salute to a lean man that was obviously taller than Jak with his back to us, long brown dreads hanging to his shoulders.

"Hello Meldalvyna, please, have a seat," the man says while he turns around, the first things striking me were his gruff &amp; scratchy voice, blue eyes, &amp; worst of all, the Krimzon Guard tattoos on his face &amp; I can't help but feel the distrust welling up inside.

**Author's note: **Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know! I had you thinking that Mel was going to talk to Torn, but nope! That, I will admit, was my original plan, but I couldn't fit all that &amp; my original plan at, under, or not too much more than 20 KB of information. At least I left you off in a suspenseful cliff-hanger (sort of). Anyways, the part that went "foreign feeling of raising upwards _inside_ a stationary object" was me relating the feeling to being in an elevator. Well, that said &amp; done, tigerdj98 out!


	18. The Interview

**Author's note: **Hello everybody who still reads this story!

Anyways... **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, the places these characters live in, &amp; links to music**. Now, as always... ON WITH THE STORY!

Jak's POV

"Chief of Arms Torn, I'd like you to meet Meldalvyna," I say while saluting to the older man, a small smile on my face.

"Hello Meldalvyna, please, have a seat," he says while turning around, his back having been turned towards us when we first came in the HQ. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Meldalvyna tense once Torn fully turned towards her.

"Um... o-okay," she says warily while slowly lowering into the seat offered to her &amp; putting down her hood to show her red-&amp;-blue hair in a braid, her eyes never leaving Torn's face. Torn looks up to me &amp; motions for me to sit down as well with a nod &amp; his eyes. Taking a seat next to Meldalvyna, I look over to her to see an unsure look spread across her face.

"Wait, what's bugging her?" I can't help but think to myself, worry spreading through my own expression.

"**I don't know, but I can tell she's nervous**," Dark says, a tone of concern in his voice as well.

"_I think her distress may be caused by Torn's Krimzon Guard tattoos,_" Light suggests, a thoughtful tone in his peaceful yet stern voice.

"JAK!" Torn shouts, scaring me out of my conversation with my alters.

"What?" I ask, still shaking off the surprise.

"You've been staring at Meldalvyna with a freaked out look since you sat down, that's what," Torn replies, no longer shouting, but still slightly annoyed.

"Oh, sorry about that, I was just trying to figure out why Meldalvyna was so tense," I say, telling the truth. Torn quirks an eyebrow &amp; looks to Meldalvyna, who quickly flashes an exaggerated smile.

"It's the tattoos, isn't it?" Torn asks her a few seconds later, catching Meldalvyna off guard.

"Y-yeah, it was," Meldalvyna replies, a guitly expression on her face, her head tipped downward.

"Don't worry about those, I quit the Baron's Guard after... one of the missions he gave me, but that's beside the point, Jak acted the same way when I told him I was once a KG," Torn says while leaning back in his own chair, his arms crossed.

"Oh, okay, you just had me worried for a second, but, there is something I should let you know before we begin," Meldalvyna says seriously, a relieved expression on her face.

"What is it?" Torn asks, leaning forward slightly in towards the table.

"Well, I told Jak many of my secrets in exchange for his, but, I forgot to mention one very important fact," Meldalvyna continues, an air of business-like conduct about her. Torn nods, telling her to continue, &amp; I can't help but be curious of what she has to say.

"My mother, Cynder, is married to my step-father, Spyro, the King of the city Warfang, making my mother the Queen, &amp; me the princess," she finishes, leaning back into her seat.

"Wait, you're a princess?!" Torn &amp; I ask, both of us near yelling.

"Yes, but do NOT let that deny me a position in the Freedom League, in Warfang everyone, even royalty, train to fight from the age of four until the age of twenty," Meldalvyna replies sternly, closing her eyes to accusing slights near the end, resembling her mother greatly.

"That's sixteen years of training, how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Torn says, a tone of wonder &amp; curiosity to his gruff voice.

"Nineteen, about to be twenty, Chief of Arms Torn, &amp; I've sharpened my fighting career by participating in my city's annual fighting competition every year, which I am the current champion of, besides my mother, who still goes undefeated," Meldalvyna replies respectfully.

"Amazing. Is that just out of the female class?" Torn asks, now completely interested.

"No, the fighting competitions are all unisex," she replies, a cocky smile spread greatly across her face. Torn's &amp; my eyes widen with surprise at this, neither one of us expecting her expertise to extend that far.

"Well, just from that, you're pretty much qualified for a position in the Freedom League, but there are two more things I need to know first," Torn says once the initial shock of what Meldalvyna told us wore off.

"What are these two other things?" Meldalvyna asks while grabbing at the end of her braid, subconciously playing with the hair in her hands.

"Well, the first one, can you drive a zoomer?" he replies with a question of his own.

"No, besides, I've never really felt the need to use one, since I can fly with my wings, but I'm a fast learner if you would like me to use one anyways," Meldalvyna answers, shifting her huge wings behind her back for emphasis.

"I could teach her how to use one if you like, Torn," I throw in, trying to help her situation.

"Alright then, the second one, have you ever used a firearm or any other projectile weapon?" Torn asks, looking back to Meldalvyna.

"Um, besides my Elements, I've used a crossbow, long bow, &amp; a hunting slingshot, but not any guns," she replies, slightly drawing out her answer.

"I'll teach her how to use a gun as well if you want, Torn," I supply again, still trying to up Meldalvyna's chances of getting into the Freedom League.

"Alright Jak, you may teach her how to work both a gun &amp; zoomer, but I must ask you Meldalvyna, what do you mean by Elements?" Torn asks standing again, a curious look spread across his face.

"Elements are a dragon's magic abilities. Most dragons have only one, but my step-father, mother, &amp; I have multiple Elements," she answers informatively, a small smile on her face.

"What Elements do you have?" Torn asks, curious of her abilities.

"Poison, Fear, Wind, &amp; Shadow, Sir, all of which I inherited from my mother of course," Meldalvyna replies, her smile reaching her voice.

"What are the other Elements?" he inquires while leaning against his table infront of us, trying to get more information.

"Oh, there are Fire, Electricity, Ice, Earth, Light Fury, &amp; Dark Fury, the last two only my mother &amp; step-father can use, but Spyro can also use all the Elements at once to make a single Element or each Element by itself due to him being the Purple Dragon," Meldalvyna returns, counting off each one as she lists them off.

"**I wonder what's so important about being a purple dragon**," Dark says thougthfully, telepathically voicing my curiosity, Light only just giving a small huff in agreement.

"I'm going to have to ask her about that later," I think to myself.

"Ah, I see you probably never really needed a weapon because of your abilities. Well, the interview is over," Torn finishes standing up from his leaning position while picking up a small packet of papers from his desk.

"Wait, its over? Am I in the Freedom League?" Meldalvyna asks suddenly, leaning forward in her seat in worried anticipation.

"You will be as soon as you fill out this job application form packet, &amp; you can start weapon &amp; zoomer training tomorrow," Torn says with a small smile, handing the papers to an extremely happy Meldalvyna, who had stood up in excitement to Torn's happy reply, making me smile at Meldalvyna's pure happiness.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Well, the interview is over," Torn finishes standing up from his leaning position while picking up a small packet of papers from his desk.

"Wait, its over? Am I in the Freedom League?" I ask, worrying that I hadn't been hired, instinctually leaning forward slightly in my seat.

"You will be as soon as you fill out this job application form packet, &amp; you can start weapon &amp; zoomer training tomorrow," the Chief of Arms says with a small smile, making me extremely happy. I quickly stand up &amp; he hands me the packet of paper in his hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jak smiling happily in his seat while watching my excited demeanor.

"Thank you, Chief of Arms Torn, I can't wait to..." I start, looking down to the forms in my hands only to realize I can't read any of it.

"What's wrong, Meldalvyna?" Jak asks worriedly now standing next to me, drawing Torn's attention back to me, who had went back to the papers on his table.

"Uhn... I-I can't read any of this form, o-our spoken languages are the same, but the written ones... they're different," I reply sadly, disgraced embarrassment more than likely evident on my face, my arms dropping to my sides like wet ropes.

"You can't read this?" Jak asks, his voice a sad tone of curiousity. I nod my head, still upset with myself, for I had been trying to figure out the language since I was little, but I still can't make any sense of it.

"Recite your written language's alphabet for us, maybe they're similar enough to match letters," Torn suggests, catching my attention. Slowly, I go through the entire alphabet I grew up learning. When I finish, I look up to Torn's &amp; Jak's face to see them both smiling, a scent of relief wafting from them.

"Well by the sound of it, it seems that the only difference between our written languages are the symbols for the letters, other than that, they're exactly the same. And before I forget, you can call me sir if you like, but I would prefer if you called me Torn more," the Chief of Arms says with a happy tone to his gruff voice.

"Are they really the same, sir?" I ask, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Yes, here, write down your alphabet," Torn says, handing me a long strip of paper from his desk &amp; a pen. I write down my alphabet as neatly as I can across the top of the scrap paper &amp; hand it back to Torn, as well as the pen.

"Torn, let me see that, I have neater hand-writing than you do," Jak says, snatching the paper &amp; pen away from Torn before he could protest. With quick, graceful movements, Jak writes down the human alphabet, matching each letter neatly to one from my own kind's alphabet.

"Here we are, now that packet shouldn't be too hard, I'll help you with anything you need or don't know about," Jak says once finished, handing me the paper &amp; pen with a smile on his face, Torn nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, the both of you," I say while sitting down, setting the packet infront of me, Jak again taking a seat next to me only to watch over my shoulder. Slowly, Jak reads through each question in the packet, while I meticulously fill in each answer with the foriegn alphabet. An hour later, Jak &amp; I finish most of the packet, Torn saying that some of the questions could be answered by a physician, except for one single question, which I knew I came prepared for.

"Hey Torn, I've finished the packet to the best of my ability, &amp; there is only one question left I can answer," I say standing up, nearly knocking Jak out of his seat with my suddenness.

"Then why didn't you answer it?" Torn asks, a confused expression alighted across his face.

"It's the armor question, &amp; one, I have a tail, horns, &amp; wings, not to mention spikes on my elbows &amp; ankles, &amp; two, I have battle armor with me," I say with a smile, motioning with my hand over to my armor-filled metalhead hide bag.

"Can we see it?" Jak asks before Torn could himself, a curious look to his face &amp; an excited scent to him.

"Sure, do you have a room I could change in, Torn?" I ask, wanting to put it on to show them. Torn nods &amp; leads me off to the bathroom then leaves me to change into my armor. Quickly, I strip myself of my disguise along with my previous steel clothing, &amp; slip on the black undergarments to my armor, which consisted of a sports-bra like top that covered my shoulders &amp; buttoned just below my wings, short sleeves with slits for my elbow-blades that only covered my elbows, gloves with small holes for my claws, shorts with a hole cut for my tail, leggings that only covered my knees, &amp; socks with the toes &amp; heels cut out.

With all those on, I speedily slip into the silver &amp; gold-accented steel battle armor piece by piece. The first ones I put one are the foot-guards, then the knee &amp; shin-guards, &amp; the upper leg-guards. Next, I put on the jointed stomach &amp; back armor, which stretch from between my legs to the point just below my breasts. Once that was on, I slipped on the tail-guard, which went from the base of my tail to the point where my tail-blade protruded from my skin. Then, I put on my chest armor, which covered the tops of my breasts up to where my chest my shoulders &amp; neck connect, &amp; followed up with putting on my neck armor that covered all of my neck &amp; had slits for my neck spikes that protruded out of the back of my neck straight from the vertebrae themselves. Finally, I slip on my upper &amp; lower arm-guards, hand-guards, wing-bone guards, &amp; lastly, my helmet. Packing my previous clothing into my bag, I step out of the bathroom &amp; walk back into the room where Jak &amp; Torn are. When I get there, neither Torn nor Jak notice me &amp; are looking at something on Torn's table.

"So Torn, Jak, what do you guys think, scary right?" I say loudly, causing them both to jump. Upon turning around, both their eyes widen with shock as the room fills with the scent of slightly fearful surprise.

"Only a little," Jak says with a small laugh &amp; Torn nods in agreement while I take off my helmet to hold it under my arm.

"I'll leave the armor &amp; all its little cloth parts here so _they_ can be measured for fitting so I don't have to," I say with another laugh before I leave for the bathroom again to get changed back into my steel clothes &amp; disguise. Ten minutes later, I return dressed as I had been when I first came into the Freedom League HQ.

"Here you go, Torn. Watch out, it's heavy," I lie with a smile on my face, knowing full well the armor was actually extremely light-weight, but still just as durable as normal battle-armor.

"You liar, you had me going," he grins after I drop the bag into his hands.

"I know. Also, don't be fooled by its light weight, it's still extremely strong armor," I say in return, walking over to where Jak was standing.

"Well, you two better be going, before you two got here, Tess called me &amp; told me that she wanted to meet Meldalvyna, that &amp; I want Meldalvyna to experience a ride on one of the faster zoomers," Torn says while swinging the bag onto the table. Jak &amp; I say our goodbyes, head out the door &amp; take Jak's fast (much to my displeasure at first, which ended up fun near the end) cobalt blue single-person zoomer to a building with a large Daxter with devil horns on the roof holding a pitchfork.

"Daxter actually owns this bar, thanks to his fiancée Tess, I bet she can't wait to meet you, &amp; I'm starving, I haven't eaten since I had breakfast this morning," Jak says, leading me towards the building once I stumble off his zoomer.

**Author's note:** Well _YAY_, now that this chapter is out of the way, the next one should be a little short chapter with, obviously, Tess &amp; Daxter. I may, **MAY**, just throw in a few surprise guests to liven things up next chapter! Egh, at least Meldalvyna got her position in the Freedom League! BTW, what I meant by hand-guards was that the back of the hands &amp; top-sides of the fingers were covered by metal plates, the same with the whole wing-bone guards part. Also, **sorry for any spelling mistakes in the chapter, it was 11:30 at night when I typed this!** Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (I know it was kinda sucky 0.o), &amp; if you have any suggestions or ideas, please, **LET. ME. KNOW!** tigerdj98 out!


	19. Meeting Tess & the Gang

**Author's note: **Hello everybody! I got a new spiked collar &amp; played around on the website Omegle earlier this week.

As always, since it's illegal to not put this: **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, the places these characters live in, &amp; music links**. Now, ON WITH THE STORY!

Jak's POV

"Daxter actually owns this bar, thanks to his fiancée Tess, I bet she can't wait to meet you, &amp; I'm starving, I haven't eaten since I had breakfast this morning," I say to Meldalvyna while I lead her to the door of the Naughty Ottsel after having helped her off my zoomer, though she still stumbled a little. Thinking back on the ride, I realize she had at first been scared into silence by the unnatural flight, but after a minute or so, she was screaming with joy, telling me to go faster.

"I can tell," Meldalvyna giggles from under her hood, dizzily leaning on my shoulder for support making her appear to be shorter than me, the small action bringing a happy smile to my face. She looks up at me, her green eyes glittering brightly in the light radiating from the neon signs in the afternoon autumn sun, a happy toothy grin alighting on her dark features.

"**Aw, look how ****_happy_**** you two are. You're ****_just begging _****to kiss her, ain't ya?** " Dark teases as she stands straight again just outside the door, causing blood to flood to my face with his taunt.

"What are you waiting for?" Meldalvyna asks with a smile in her voice, just as I was about to defend myself from Dark's badgering. I quickly trot up to her side &amp; flash her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, uh, remember how I said I had alter-egos from the Dark &amp; Light Eco in my body?" I ask shyly.

"Yeah, why?" Meldalvyna answers, her brows furrowed at me in curiosity.

"Well, um... my Dark Eco alter... Dark... he was talking to me," I reply, casting my eyes downward. Meldalvyna nods her head in understanding, having heard the secret of my alters before &amp; offers her arm for me to wrap my own around. Taking her arm in my own, we walk into the saloon together, a smile on my face. As soon as I walk in, Daxter comes to great us, &amp; I notice there isn't anyone else in the bar.

"Hey guys, so what happened at the interview &amp; what's with the get-up, Meldalvyna?" he asks, looking at Meldalvyna with a huge smile on his face.

"It's the disguise I use when going into Haven City, &amp; I got in the Freedom League, I'll be starting gun &amp; zoomer training tomorrow with Jak!" Meldalvyna answers happily, a smile in her voice.

"Sweet, Jak is a good shot &amp; the champion of the city when it comes to racing!" Daxter says loudly &amp; happily, his fiancée nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Dax, where's Tess? Torn told us she'd be here," I ask, curious as to where my best friend's future wife is.

"Oh, she's in the back. She figured ya wouldn't have eaten since this morning so she's makin' ya somethin', &amp; Meldalvyna, we're all friends here, you can take down yer hood," he replies quickly, a knowing, friendly smile on his face. Meldalvyna takes Daxter's advice &amp; pulls down her hood, revealing an unsure smile spread across her face while I lead her to the bar table. Taking a seat, she leaves her wings wrapped around herself, but shifts her tail to sit mostly in her lap, the hesitant look still on her face &amp; obvious in her posture.

"Hey honey, Jak &amp; Meldalvyna are here, do ya want any help back there?" Daxter shouts towards the kitchen while hopping from the floor onto the counter to try to see into the kitchen through its serving window.

"Oh, they're here! No thanks, Daxie-poo. Meldalvyna, you want anything?" Tess shouts back, asking Meldalvyna if she wanted something to eat as well.

"Oh, um, no thanks... Tess," Meldalvyna replies, her voice hesitant &amp; shy. I take a seat to the left of Meldalvyna, scoot the stool closer to her, &amp; wrap my arm around her waist, causing her gaze to flick to me, the expression on her face surprised. With the sound of claws clicking on hard wood &amp; metal, Tess appears with a sandwich on a plate suspended in her arms in the service window, the steam billowing from the freshly cooked sub.

"Oh my Precursors, you're so pretty Meldalvyna! Jak, that drawing you did of her after the first time you came back from meeting her, was spot on," Tess says happily, hopping down from the service window to a bridge of strategically placed stool &amp; onto the bar table &amp; sets the plate infront of me.

"You drew me?" Meldalvyna asks me almost shyly, an eyebrow quirked upwards in curiosity. My eyes widen with realization of what Tess had said &amp; what Meldalvyna asked, my face flushing with embarassment, immediately unwrapping my arm from Meldalvyna's side.

"Um... yeah... I was supposed to take a picture of you that first day... but you'd start to growl every time I reached in my bag to get the camera... so I drew you for Torn instead... then Daxter insisted I show it to Tess," I reply shyly, my eyes cast at the floor while rubbing the back of my neck in shame. Flicking my eyes up to Meldalvyna, I notice she wasn't angry or disturbed by this revelation, but actually smiling sheepishly herself, her cheeks a tinge of purple.

"That's... that's okay, to... to tell you the truth... I-I did the same thing the same night," Meldalvyna reveals timidly, the purple tone to her face becoming more vibrant.

"_She's blushing, &amp; how strange, you both did the same thing, yet another thing you have in common_," Light says, causing me to realize she was in fact blushing.

"Heh, heh heh, what a relief, at least I'm not alone in this," I laugh nervously, an unsure smile on my face.

"Wait a sec'! Jak, I noticed yer arm was 'round Meldalvyna's, &amp; when you two sat down, you immediately put yer arm 'round her side!" Daxter suddenly exclaims with a smile, earning a blush from both Meldalvyna &amp; I, Tess's face lighting up with the realization she had seen my arm around Meldalvyna's waist as well. Before I can defend myself, the sound of knuckles on metal rapping on the door loundly fills the room. Daxter jumps from his spot on the table &amp; runs up to the door, but doesn't open it.

"Who's there?" Daxter shouts through the door, Meldalvyna raising her hood over her head again.

"It's Jinx, &amp; Sig," the voice says, the all too familiar nasally voice filtering through the door loudly.

"Jinx, Sig! Come in!" Daxter says happily, opening the door to the bar to reveal a smoking Jinx &amp; a smiling Sig.

"Well lookie here, if it isn't Pretty Boy himself," Jinx asks with a smile on his face when he notices me, his annoying nick-names &amp; accent immediately getting under my skin.

"Well if it isn't Jinx, I haven't seen you since Daxter proposed to Tess!" I say with a forced smile &amp; enthusiasm, slapping my hand down on his shoulder a bit harder than I needed to once he walks in. Sig walks in next &amp; straight towards me.

"Hey cherry, how's it been going?" Sig asks with a smile, landing his hand softly yet sturdily on my right shoulder while walking with me back towards the bar table.

"It's been good," I reply happily, noticing out of the corner of my eye Jinx staring down Meldalvyna out the side of his eye from his seat just to the left of my own. I sit down in between the two &amp; Sig sits on the other side of Jinx. I pick up my sub &amp; start to lift it to my mouth, only to have Jinx interrupt me just before I can take a bite.

"Jak, who's that?" he asks in a whisper, only loud enough for me to hear. I look over to Jinx only to see both him &amp; Sig motioning with their eyes (eye of course for Sig) to Meldalvyna, &amp; decide to pretend like I had forgotten to introduce her.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Jinx, Sig, I'd like you to meet my newest friend, Meldalvyna, Meldalvyna, this is Jinx, &amp; this is Sig," I say loud enough to get Meldalvyna's attention while standing &amp; motioning to each man respectively, putting my hand on Meldalvyna's shoulder.

"Oh, so your Jak's new lady-friend, ey? Nice ta meet ya Meldalvyna," Jinx says while holding out a hand to Meldalvyna, causing the blood to rush to my face with his first comment.

"It's not like that, Jinx," I stammer quickly, trying to defend myself from his teasing. Meldalvyna stands &amp; shakes both Jinx's &amp; Sig's hands one at a time, all the while keeping her hood up.

"So, what's with the hood? We don't bite, well, at least Sig doesn't, but I will if ya want me ta," Jinx says with a smoker's laugh &amp; a wink.

"That is nice to know, I think... I wear this hood to conceal my face," Meldalvyna answers, a shakey smile in her voice.

"To conceal your face? I only have one eye, cherry, &amp; if anyone in here should hide their face, it would be me," Sig throws in pointing to his mechanical eye , now determined to see Meldalvyna.

"Yeah, &amp; we've all seen some freaky things in our lives, so I doubt a face belonging ta such a pretty voice like yers could be tha' bad," Jinx says, still trying to get Meldalvyna show her face.

"Okay, but it's you two's funerals, &amp; just remember, you two asked for it," Meldalvyna says with a light exasperated huff. With a nod from both Sig &amp; Jinx, Meldalvyna pulls down her hood for the third time that day. Jinx's &amp; Sig's eyes widen with surprise as her face becomes fully revealed.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that, but hey, I'm still right," Jinx says when the shock wears off.

"Jinx is right, you are really pretty, cherry, &amp; I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly _are _you?" Sig asks kindly, careful not to offend Meldalvyna.

Meldalvyna's POV

"Jak, who's that?" the blond man sitting to the left of Jak asks in a whisper just before he can bite into his sandwich, causing me to be even more nervous.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Jinx, Sig, I'd like you to meet my newest friend, Meldalvyna, Meldalvyna, this is Jinx, &amp; this is Sig," Jak says suddenly while standing, placing one hand on my shoulder while using the other to motion towards each man respectively.

"Oh, so your Jak's new lady-friend, ey? Nice ta meet ya Meldalvyna," the man identified as Jinx greets in his strange accent while holding out his hand, causing Jak's face to flush red.

"_Jak had a girlfriend, wait, why am I even jealous? I should feel sorry for Jak, shouldn't I, but why do I feel like this?_" I think to myself quickly, the thought lasting only less than a second, but bugging me none-the-less.

"It's not like that, Jinx," Jak stammers out quickly with his face still blushed, defending himself from Jinx's teasing.

"_I wonder who this other woman is. Damn it, there I go again!_" the thoughts intrude again, still stuck on Jak's 'lady-friend'. I stand up &amp; shake Jinx's &amp; Sig's hands, not daring to take down my hood until I could trust they wouldn't recoil in horror.

"So, what's with the hood? We don't bite, well, at least Sig doesn't, but I will if ya want me ta," Jinx says with a laugh &amp; a suggestive wink. Taking a second before I could reply, I suppress an embarassed yet flattered giggle.

"That is nice to know, I think... I wear this hood to conceal my face," I answer shakily &amp; as seriously as I could, the giggle threatening to break out into my speech at any moment.

"To conceal your face? I only have one eye, cherry, &amp; if anyone in here should hide their face, it would be me," the tall, dark-colored man adds pointing to his mechanical eye, the scent of curiosity now also coming from him.

"Yeah, &amp; we've all seen some freaky things in our lives, so I doubt a face belonging ta such a pretty voice like yers could be tha' bad," Jinx says, still trying to convince me to show them my face. I think over this for a few seconds, trying to decide what to do, but give up &amp; submit to defeat.

"Okay, but it's you two's funerals, &amp; just remember, you two asked for it," I say with a small huff of exasperation before pulling down my hood. For the third time that day, I pull down my hood, ready for them to draw back in terror. As the hood comes down, Jinx's &amp; Sig's eyes (eye for Sig) widen in surprise as my face becomes more &amp; more visible.

"Well, I wasn't expecting tha', but hey, I'm still right," Jinx says slowly with an obviously forced smile once the shock wears off.

"Jinx is right, you are really pretty, cherry, &amp; I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly _are _you?" Sig asks kindly, sounding like he was being careful not to anger or offend me. The question throws me off for a second before I can come up with an answer.

"I'm... I'm a dragon-human hybrid," I say softly, scared of what they'll think of me. I notice Jinx is about to say something, but Jak stops him before he could get anything out, saying that he shouldn't ask with a simple motion.

"Oh, I'm sorry for asking if it offended you, I was just purely curious, I've never seen anything like you," Sig apologizes nicely, but I wave him off with a distant smile.

"It's okay, I'm just used to getting ridicule for it," I say with a downcast expression.

"So Jakey boy, why's your *chai' so close ter Meldalvyna's?" Jinx asks, earning a wide-eyed blush from Jak &amp; the blood to rush to my dark-scaled cheeks.

(tigerdj98 Note: *chai'r - chair with Brooklyn accent, Jinx has this kind of accent)

Daxter's laugh bursts into the air as Jak sends a death glare at Jinx.

"Jinx, ya shoulda' seen it! When these two came in, they were arm'n arm &amp; when they sat down, Jak immediately put his arm 'round 'er waist!" Daxter laughs, now recieving the death glare from Jak &amp; I, though I am more embarassed more than angry, Sig &amp; Tess grinning softly from where they are standing.

"Well ain' tha' so? Jakky boy, Meldalvyna, c'mere &amp; sit next ta each otha' fer a second, I wanna see how you two look with each otha'," Jinx says with a cheeky grin, motioning for us to sit in our original seats. Doing as we are told with an exasperated huff from both Jak &amp; I, we sit down next to each other, Jak doing a smile that said 'you happy?' as soon as he sits.

"Yeah, I can see you two runnin' togetha, but I think Goldilocks's dark side would 'ave a betta chance with 'er though," Jinx says, stroking his chin in mock thought, the smile growing on his face, Jak's face turning a light red again. Before I can stop it, a growl of annoyance excapes from deep in my throat as my wings &amp; tail twitch, the sound shaking the room with its low tones. Everyone's eyes widen with surprise as the room fills with a light scent of fear.

"Jeez, didn't mean ta aggravate ya, Meldalvyna. I was jus' playin' around with ya, but I was serious with you two runnin' togetha," Jinx says, raising his hands in defence, a slightly freaked-out look spread out across his face.

"No, you only annoyed me a little, if I was really aggravated, I would've stood up, spread my wings, flash my claws &amp; tail blade, &amp; given you a full-on snarl," I say, trying to reassure &amp; give them all a warning at the same time.

"Cherry, did you just say you have wings, a tail, &amp; claws?" Sig asks, an eyebrow cocked &amp; a scent of curiosity coming from the large man.

"Um, yeah, why?" I return with a question, curious as to why he'd ask.

"Cool, can we see 'em?" Jinx asks, an excited tone in his voice.

"Fine, give me a second to take off my false hood," I say with a huff while standing, taking one of the sleeves in hand as I went.

"You guys will want to back up," Jak says now standing while I fully remove my hood, pulling the two men back more towards him. With a pop of my neck for flare, I snap open my wings dramatically with my arms spread at low angles &amp; my palms up with my claws fully extended, my chest puffed to show off &amp; my tail held ready to strike, a sneery smile spread across my face with my chin cocked slightly upward &amp; a small growl.

"Wow," Jinx &amp; Sig whisper, their voices &amp; scent filled with awe.

"What else can you do?" Sig asks, a curious look to his eye.

"Guys, let her be, she just met you two, give her a while to get used to you. It took me almost getting pounced on by a metalhead during an ambush just to get her to talk to me," Jak says before I could say or do anything, sitting on one of the stools with his sandwich now gone.

"Oh, it's alright. But I do believe I must be going," I say while returning to my disguise, not wanting to be late to dinner again for the fourth night in a row.

"Aw really, I barely even got to talk to you!" Tess says from the table, a sad tone to her voice.

"Yes, but I might be able to see you tomorrow after gun &amp; zoomer training for the Freedom League, as long as Jak doesn't mind," I suggest, turning my now hooded head to Jak, Jinx &amp; Sig both raising their eyebrows in happy surprise.

"Yeah, I don't mind at all. So, shall we be off?" Jak says with a smile.

"Okay, see you guys tomorrow possibly!" I say as we head out the door waiving, everyone inside waiving back to us. Before we can get on the zoomer, the question of who Jak's last girlfriend hits me again with full force.

"Hey Jak, do you mind if I ask you something?" I ask as he helps me onto his blue zoomer, no longer being able to hold back my persistant curiosity.

"I don't mind, what is it?" Jak replies, looking up into my eyes with a smile on his face, the orange light sparkling like a sunset in his dark, sea-blue eyes, immediately making me feel guilty for what I'm about to ask.

"Um, who... who was your last 'lady-friend'? You don't have to answer if you don't want to!" I stammer out, Jak's face falling for a millisecond only to immediately recover forcedly causing me to feel guilty.

"She is an old friend of mine, we went out for a while, but it didn't work for either of us. You'll get to meet her tomorrow, her name is Keira, &amp; no need to feel bad for asking, I would've done the same thing," Jak answers, the gentle smile that now prevailed his face completely genuine. With a light nod &amp; a smile both from me, Jak hops on the zoomer &amp; starts the aircraft, taking off speedily into the air in the direction of the Haven Forrest &amp; Mountain Valley lock as soon as the machine starts. I hug my arms around his waist &amp; chest as the feeling of unnatural flight envelops me, the feeling still very uncomfertable &amp; foreign to me as it was the first two times. The ride goes in silence as we zip through the city towards the lock, &amp; I can't help but think of how or why this 'Keira' person could give up a man so nice &amp; handsome as Jak. The lock finally comes into view, &amp; Jak slows down a little, drops low to the ground as he drives the zoomer up the ramp &amp; up to the lock. Turning off the zoomer, Jak jumps off &amp; helps me off, leading me through the metal doors.

"So, one o'clock tomorrow?" Jak asks once we were in the opening to the mountain pass, a smile on his strong, chiseled &amp; kind face.

"Yeah, one o'clock tomorrow is okay," I answer, a smile on my face as well.

"See you tomorrow," I say, giving him a quick hug, all the while resisting the peculiar urge to kiss him on the cheek, &amp; take off into the air not very much unlike he did to me last night, him yelling his goodbye to me as I fly back to my house. Ten minutes later, I land outside my house to see both my mother &amp; step-father waiting for me.

"I got the job!" I say happily to them, to which they both smile &amp; congratulate me on my success.

"Meldalvyna, there is something we need to tell you," Spyro says, his voice dropping to a completely serious tone.

"Meldalvyna, the Chronincler the Chronicler has summoned Spyro &amp; me, we will be back in a week," Cynder says, the serious tone in her voice never wavering.

**Author's note:** Well, this chapter was longer than expected! That, &amp; I introduced Meldalvyna to both Jinx &amp; Sig! I must say, Jinx is extremely hard to write because of his accent! P.s. sorry if there was a lot of spelling mistakes when there wasn't anyone talking (I used dialect again), I literally finished typing this at around 11:40 pm ET in the USA! Anyways, see you next chapter!


	20. Dark's Desires

**Author's note: **Hello everyone again!

Now, for the rightful credits... **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, music I use in these chapters, &amp; the places these characters live in**.

**Warning: **This chapter is contains **SUGGESTIVE ACTIVITY BETWEEN CHARACTERS**.

Jak's POV

"See you tomorrow," Meldalvyna says, surprising me with a quick hug as she said her goodbye. Her scent fills the air around me, putting me in shocked bliss for less than a second, all before she takes off into the air suddenly, leaving me alone.

"See you later!" I shout to her retreating form once the initial shock wears off &amp; turn back to the lock behind me. Walking through the door, I notice Meldalvyna's scent is still on me, lulling me into a happy peacefulness. I jump on my cobalt-blue zoomer &amp; drive for my apartment home. I walk into my apartment, lock the door behind me, &amp; set all my gear in their respective places, &amp; walk to my room. Meldalvyna's persistant scent is still lingering on me, &amp; it is as if she is in the room with me.

"**Thinking of Meldalvyna, ey? You know how many times they teased you about being her boyfriend, why don't you end their teasing by... dating her?**" Dark suggests as I walk into my bedroom &amp; set my alarm for ten a.m, an evil smile evident in his lecherous tone.

"_Dark, it is quite obvious what you mean by that, &amp; I do believe Jak isn't ready for such wanton activities with Meldalvyna_," Light chides, defending me before I could myself.

"**Wanton? Who said I would be unfaithful to her?**" Dark retorts, the shameless tone still in his voice.

"Guys, will you two cut it out, I want to get some sleep! Light, thank you for sticking up for me, &amp; Dark, I'm not that kind of guy, &amp; you know that!" I yell telepathically at the two, wanting to get to sleep. Hearing no reply from either of my alters besides a light growl coming from Dark, I continue getting ready to sleep.

Taking off my shirt, I catch a wiff of Meldalvyna's scent stuck to the fabric &amp; can't help but pause for a second to take it in with a deep breath. Her scent smells like cherries &amp; pine trees, the scent making me relax &amp; my mouth water with indistinguishable underlying scents. I throw the shirt away from me as a dirty thought passes through my mind, my eyes wide with surprise at just how raunchy the thought was. I continue putting on my pajamas, all the while trying to block suggestive images &amp; thoughts from my mind. I lay down in my bed, the thoughts still persistant as they were when they first started, &amp; give in to the thoughts &amp; let them pass through my head. As I fall asleep, I realize that there is no denying it, I am falling for Meldalvyna, images of her pervading my dreams.

The next three days goes without a hitch or any of the thoughts that had been so persistant in my mind the night before returning to me, though every time we went to the Naughty Ottsel after training everyone would tease us by asking us whether we were kissing yet. Meldalvyna met with Keira &amp; after a little of convincing from me, revealed her true image to Keira. Keira, surprisingly, wasn't at all in shock of Meldalvyna, but rather said she looked cool &amp; couldn't wait to work with her. And in sense of zoomer &amp; gun usage, Meldalvyna is extremely good at both (that isn't counting the four crashes on a slow zoomer she went through &amp; almost shooting me in the foot twice the first two days). The third day, though, I notice something was bothering Meldalvyna &amp; throwing off her now extremely precise aim (Torn lets her bring one home to practice with, along with her new Freedom League armor &amp; communicator, which I had to teach her how to use). Later that same day at the driving practice course, I notice Meldalvyna making more accidents than usual, the look of distraction on her face each time she makes a mistake. Worrying about what could be bothering her, I waive her down to stop her practice from where I was standing in the pit.

"Meldalvyna, what's wrong, is something bothering you?" I ask, worried about what was making her mess up so much. A blush suddenly graces her face as she turns her head in embarassment before answering.

"Um... well... my mother &amp; step-father have been gone for the past three days &amp; won't be back for another four because the Chronicler summoned them, &amp; Sparx is out for the day collecting his food, since he was getting low in stock, &amp; I... I was wondering if you'd like to come over later, since it's kinda boring with nobody to talk to at home," Meldalvyna stammers shyly, her face still turned away from me.

"The Chronicler, who is that, if you don't mind me asking first?" I ask, not aware of this new dragon or other creature.

"The Chronicler is a dragon that keeps records of all other dragons &amp; the history around them, &amp; when someone is summoned by him or her, it is because their future is either in peril or is about to change greatly for good or bad," she answers, her face now turned back towards me.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll come over later after we're done training," I say, Meldalvyna smiling in response to my answer.

"Thank you Jak! I'll complete these laps as fast as I can!" Meldalvyna yells over her shoulder as she takes off down the track in a flash on her new one-seater practice zoomer. Behind me, I hear the familiar thump of light feet, the scent coming to me telling me it's Keira.

"Hey Keira," I say as I turn around to greet my ex-girlfriend.

"Hey Jak, Meldalvyna's improved extremely fast," Keira says, leaning against the pit rail, watching Meldalvyna zip around the track for the third time today. Leaning against the rail myself, all I do is nod in response.

"I bet she uses her wings &amp; tail for added balance when turning," Keira continues, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"You know, I didn't really think of that, I bet she is, lucky," I laugh, now also watching Meldalvyna race around the track.

"I wonder how fast she can fly, she told me yesterday she is a champion racer in the annual races where she's from," Keira says curiously, the look of thought obviously spread on her face.

"Why don't we ask her, this is her last lap anyways," I suggest, a smile on my face. After a few seconds, Meldalvyna whizzes past the finish line &amp; comes to a stop outside the pit, getting off the zoomer as soon as she shuts it off &amp; walks over to us.

"Hey Keira, what's up?" Meldalvyna asks her newest friend with a smile on her face.

"Jak &amp; I were wondering how fast you can fly, do you mind doing a test run around the track for us?" Keira responds, a hopeful look on her face.

"Sure, I don't mind at all, I'll gladly do it," Meldalvyna answers with a happy smile on her face.

"Sweet! Just let me get the timer ready, only one lap, okay?" Keira asks as she pulls out her control pad from a small purse on her side.

"Okay," Meldalvyna says over her shoulder while walking to the center of the track.

"Jak, start the count-down!" Keira says excitedly, shaking my shoulder in the process.

"Three..." I shout, Meldalvyna opening her wings in preparation,

"two..." I yell, Meldalvyna getting down into a ready position,

"one..." I roar in rising excitement, Meldalvyna raising her wings slightly,

"GO!" I howl as loud as I can, Meldalvyna leaping high into the air as she takes flight. Meldalvyna races around the track so fast it's hard to keep track of her, climbing before corners only to dive through them, while other corners she looks like she's about to slam into the wall then flaps her wings hard enough to send her around the corner at high speeds. Literally only a few seconds after taking off, Meldalvyna crosses the finish line &amp; comes to a landing at the pit with a smile on her face.

"That was amazing! It only took you thirty-five point two seconds to complete one lap, &amp; most racing zoomers can't even do that in forty-nine point nine seconds!" Keira squeals happily, thoroughly amazed by how fast Meldalvyna can fly.

"That was awesome Meldalvyna, I had no idea you could fly that fast, do you think you can teach my Light Eco alter how to fly like that?" I ask with a laugh &amp; a smile on my face.

"Thank you guys, but I was barely even - wait, your Light Eco alter can fly?" Meldalvyna inquires herself, a curious look spread across her face.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it on the way to the Freedom League HQ," I respond, as it was getting later in the day.

"Oh, okay, see you tomorrow Keira," Meldalvyna says while putting on her false cloak top &amp; pulling the hood over her head, a smile on her face.

"See you tomorrow, I'll calculate the time into miles per hour tonight so I can tell you how fast you flew. You two have a good night, &amp; Jak... you better be gentle with Meldalvyna," Keira says jokingly with a waive as she walks away, the blush immediately rushing to my face as all the thoughts that had come to mind that one night three days ago return to me. As I come to a stop infront of the Haven Mountain Valley &amp; Forest lock, Meldalvyna taps my shoulder.

"What is it?" I ask as I turn off my zoomer &amp; get off.

"Are you still coming over?" Meldalvyna answers with a question of her own as I help her off the aircraft.

"Oh yeah, I'm still coming over," I answer with a smile, almost having forgotten about our plans.

"Sweet! Come on!" Meldalvyna says happily running up to the door, pulling me along the way. I open the door &amp; we walk through the two doors to the warp gate.

"Meldalvyna, have you ever used a warp gate before?" I ask her with, as Keira calls it, my infamous smirk spread across my face.

"No, but in Warfang there are things like these, except they are powered by magic, &amp; anyone can use them, too," Meldalvyna answers with her hood now down, an amused questioning look overtaking her face when she notices my expression.

"Try it, I'll go first," I say with a smile, diving through the warp gate, the strange feeling of traveling at impossible speeds overtaking my body for less than a second before spitting me back out on the opposite side of the chasm. I walk over to the edge &amp; waive to her with a big smile on my face, to which she waives back &amp; dives through herself, &amp; comes out next to me, landing in a roll which she pops up from without stopping.

"Well, that was fun, it felt almost exactly like the portals back in Warfang," Meldalvyna says now fully standing with a smile on her face.

"Shall we be going?" I ask with a gentlemanly tone you hear in the movies &amp; a suave smile on my face, offering my arm to her.

"Yes, we shall," Meldalvyna laughs with a smile on her face, taking my arm in hers as we walk to her house. The rest of the walk goes in silence, even Dark &amp; Light aren't saying anything, which is worrying me, especially for Dark.

"**You should let me meet her**," Dark says as soon as the thought of worry passes through my head.

"Why would I let you do that, you'll kill her," I scorn, not even wanting Meldalvyna to ever see Dark.

"**I wouldn't kill her, maybe scratch her up a bit, but that would either be on accident or her own fault**," Dark retorts, his tone lecherous like it was three days ago.

"I don't care, I don't want her to ever see you, &amp; that's final," I grind out at him telepathically, ending the conversation. The house comes into view twenty minutes later, Dark having not said anything for the entire time. Meldalvyna unlocks &amp; opens the door, causing the entire room to light up, &amp; the fire pit in the middle to ignite.

"How'd you do that?" I ask, completely amazed by sudden brightness.

"I didn't, my step-father rigged the house so that when one of us come in &amp; open the door in any room, the candles &amp; torches will light up," Meldalvyna answers, throwing the keys on a small table next to the door I hadn't noticed the first time I was here.

"Go ahead &amp; have a seat anywhere you like. Do you want anything?" Meldalvyna asks when we both get to the bottom of the stairs.

"Um, a water would be nice," I say after a second of thought while taking a seat on Meldalvyna's comfy couch. I take a deep breath in &amp; realize it WAS NOT a good idea to sit here as Meldalvyna's scent envelopes me, causing all those thoughts I had three days ago to return to my mind.

"**Why don't you just confess your feelings to her?**" Dark asks, a mysterious tone to his voice I just couldn't pick out.

"I can't, I don't think she feels the same way," I reply sadly telepathically to Dark.

"**Why else would she ask us to come over if she didn't feel that way? I mean come on, her mother, step-father, &amp; double-whatever aren't here, so why would she ask us?**" Dark retorts, an annoyed tone to his deep voice.

"Because she didn't want to be alone in this place, I can't even imagine how creepy it would be to be in here all by yourself," I throw out, trying to get Dark to leave me alone.

"**Fine, if you won't tell her how you feel, ****_I will_**," Dark says menacingly, making a plunge to take control. I clutch my head in agony as Dark relentlessly tries to come out, &amp; I have to surpress a few screams of agony as he comes close to success two or three times.

"Jak, what's wrong!?" Meldalvyna asks worriedly, rushing into the room.

"N-no! Don't get close, D-Dark's trying to get out!" I shout between growls of pain, Dark not giving up in the slightest, Dark Eco lightning flashing from my body. To my horror, Meldalvyna starts to get closer, a look of worried horror on her gentle face.

"No! Run! I can't hold him much longer!" I scream out, pushing one of my hands out, trying to tell her to stop &amp; not get any closer, to run as fast as she could, my vision fading as the seconds go on. With one final blow &amp; a howl of pain, I lose control to Dark, with Meldalvyna still in the room watching me, feeling like I was falling unconcious as the room goes black.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"In a week? Why so long?" I ask Cynder, thinking that where the Chronicler lived was closer to the Uni-Portal than Warfang.

"The Chronicler lives the same distance from the Uni-Portal that Warfang is, only in the opposite direction," Spyro says with a serious tone, an even more serious expression spread across his normally happy-go-lucky purple face.

"What about double-step uncle Sparx, what is he going to do?" I ask them, now concerned whether I'd be staying home alone or not.

"Sparx is going to stay here with you, we've already talked about it with him," my step-father responds, the serious expression growing slightly lighter.

"Okay, while you guys are gone, would you mind if I invite Jak over to hang out?" I ask shyly, not looking either of them in the eyes. A few seconds go by in silence, &amp; when I look up to see what's going on, I notice my mother looking at me with a mysterious smile crossing her arrow-tip shaped head &amp; Spyro's cheeks slightly pink.

"Yes, you may, as long as you don't invite him into your room," Cynder says suggestively with a mischevious smirk &amp; a joking scent, causing the blood to rush to my face.

"Mom! I wasn't even thinking like that!" I shout in embarassment, my cheeks no doubt blushing like mad, turning my back to the two.

"Speaking of Jak, why do I smell him on you?" she asks, her joking tone now serious.

"Well, when I walked him to the lock last night, he gave me a goodbye hug, so I returned it today," I say truthfully, knowing I wouldn't be able to lie myself out of the situation. My mother raises her head in thought, the process obvious in her expression &amp; scent, &amp; a few seconds later accepts what I said with a nod of her head.

"Well, see you in a week, love you Mel, be good for your double-step uncle," Spyro says, saving me from any more possible teasing. Saying goodbye as they fly off towards the Uni-Portal until they are out of view, I walk back into the house to see Sparx asleep on his little cushioned stool. I walk upstairs &amp; into my room, shutting the door behind me so I could get dressed without the fear of Sparx accidently seeing me. As I pull my hood over my head, I smell his scent lingering in the cloth of the hood, &amp; I can't help but pause. His scent smelled like a sandy beach with the musk of Dark Eco &amp; the tinge of Light Eco in it, causing me to relax in the confuzing scent &amp; my heart beat to speed up. Suddenly, a raunchy thought passes through my mind, &amp; I throw the hood away to the opposite side of the room, the blood rushing to my face with the dirty thought. I quickly get into my cloth pajamas, blocking out the suggestive images &amp; thoughts as I get ready.

Once done &amp; my alarm clock set for ten thirty a.m, I lay down in bed, still trying to keep the images out of my head, but ten minutes of battling my own mind causes me to give up &amp; drift into a Jak filled sleep. I can't deny myself anymore, I was falling for Jak... hard. The next three days go without any problems, but not without any of the thoughts returning, I just couldn't get Jak out of my head, &amp; that didn't help the fact that every time we went to the Naughty Ottsel after training everyone of Jak's friends would tease us about how we were always seen together &amp; how we were dating, though we WEREN'T. I met with Keira, who turns out to be much kinder than I thought she'd be, &amp; with only a little convincing from Jak, I completely reveal myself to Keira, &amp; it didn't freak her out, she said she couldn't wait to start working with me! As the days went by, I practiced using both the small hand pistol Torn is letting me borrow &amp; the zoomers Keira is letting me use, with barely any mishaps (besides crashing the slowest zoomer four times in a row the first day in zoomer training &amp; almost shooting Jak in the foot twice in a row the second day in gun training). On the third day, though, the suggestive thoughts about Jak are more persistant than usual, causing me to mess up &amp; almost crash several times. Jak flags me down on the beginning of the fourth lap from what he called the pit, &amp; I pull up &amp; stop infront of him to see his face covered with a look of slight worry.

"Meldalvyna, what's wrong, is something bothering you?" Jak asks, the worried look on his face seeping into his gruff voice.

"Um... well... my mother &amp; step-father have been gone for the past three days &amp; won't be back for another four because the Chronicler summoned them, &amp; Sparx is out for the day collecting his food, since he was getting low in stock, &amp; I... I was wondering if you'd like to come over later, since it's kinda boring with nobody to talk to at home," I stutter shyly, turning my face away in embarassment as a dirty thought passes through my head.

"The Chronicler, who is that, if you don't mind me asking first?" Jak asks, his face now overtaken by curiosity.

"The Chronicler is a dragon that keeps records of all other dragons &amp; the history around them, &amp; when someone is summoned by him or her, it is because their future is either in peril or is about to change greatly for good or bad," I reply, now sure that I was no longer blushing from the thought that had passed through my head.

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll come over later after we're done training," Jak says, making me smile with his answer.

"Thank you Jak! I'll complete these laps as fast as I can!" I yell over my shoulder happily as I take off down the track on my new one-seater zoomer, determined to finish the last lap of the track as fast I could. I zoom around the track as fast as I can, using my wings &amp; tail to take the corners faster &amp; sharper, but not at all to give myself a speed boost, which was what caused me to crash four times in a row the first day. Rounding the final corner of the last lap, I notice both Jak &amp; Keira waiting for me in the pit, both of them leaning against the metal railing.

"Hey Keira, what's up?" I ask my newest friend while I walk up to them after I cross the finish line &amp; come to a stop.

"Jak &amp; I were wondering how fast you can fly, do you mind doing a test run around the track for us?" Keira answers, a hopeful smile crossing her features &amp; the scent of curiosity coming from her.

"Sure, I don't mind at all, I'll gladly do it," I reply with a smile on my face, happy to show my friends what I could do.

"Sweet! Just let me get the timer ready, only one lap, okay?" Keira asks as she pulls out a rectangular from a small rectangular bag hanging from her side.

"Okay," I shout over my shoulder as I walk to the center of the track, giving myself alot of room to take off.

"Jak, start the count-down!" Keira says in excitement, shaking Jak's shoulder in anticipation.

"Three.." Jak shouts as I spread my wings slightly in preparation,

"two..." Jak yells as I get into the take-off position,

"one..." Jak howls in excitement as I raise my wings slightly, ready to beat them downward,

"GO!" Jak finally roars much louder than the rest of the countdown, &amp; I take off in a huge leap into the air. I race around the track at a fast speed, but not my fastest, climbing just before some corners only to dive through them like my mother taught me to, while with others I'll get close enough to the wall to look like I'm about to crash, then flap my wings hard &amp; flip my body around in the direction of the corner to shoot down the track to try to mess with Jak &amp; Keira. After what felt like only ten seconds, I cross the finish line &amp; come to a landing infront of the two, who both had amazed looks on their faces.

"That was amazing! It only took you thirty-five point two seconds to complete one lap, &amp; most racing zoomers can't even do that in forty-nine point nine seconds!" Keira squeals happily, thoroughly amazed by how fast I can fly, though it wasn't at all the fastest I could fly.

"That was awesome Meldalvyna, I had no idea you could fly that fast, do you think you can teach my Light Eco alter how to fly like that?" Jak asks with a friendly laugh &amp; a kind smile.

"Thank you guys, but I was barely even - wait, your Light Eco alter can fly?" I inquire in surprise while looking at him, the latter half of what Jak said not sinking in until just now.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it on the way to the Freedom League HQ," Jak responds with a smile on his face, saying that we should go.

"Oh, okay, see you tomorrow Keira," I say while putting my false cloak-top on &amp; pulling up the hood.

"See you tomorrow, I'll calculate the time into miles per hour tonight so I can tell you how fast you flew. You two have a good night, &amp; Jak... you better be gentle with Meldalvyna," Keira says jokingly with a waive as she walks away, the blush immediately rushing to my face as all the thoughts that have been bothering me lately come back to mind, &amp; I notice a blush crossing Jak's face as well. As Jak comes to a stop infront of the Haven Mountain Valley &amp; Forest lock, the question of if he is still coming to my house invades my thoughts just enough for me to tap his shoulder to get his attention.

"What is it?" Jak asks as he turns off his zoomer &amp; gets off.

"Are you still coming over?" I answer with a question of my own as he helps me off the machine.

"Oh yeah, I'm still coming over," Jak responds with a smile, his face lighting up as he answers.

"Sweet! Come on!" I say happily as I grab his hand &amp; run to the lock, waiting for him to open the thing, which he does without hesitation, &amp; we walk through straight to the warp gate.

"Meldalvyna, have you ever used a warp gate before?" Jak asks me with a devilish smirk spread across his lips.

"No, but in Warfang there are things like these, except they are powered by magic, &amp; anyone can use them, too," I answer with my hood now down, amused by the strange expression on Jak's face as I try to figure out what he was implying.

"Try it, I'll go first," Jak says with a smile just before diving through the device, only to reappear on the opposite ledge of the gorge with a smile on his face, waiving to me. I waive back &amp; dive through the warp gate myself, the feeling of going at impossible speeds traveling through my body until I am flung back out the other side, landing with a roll &amp; jumping up into the standing position without stopping.

"Well, that was fun, it felt almost exactly like the portals back in Warfang," I say with a smile once fully standing.

"Shall we be going?" Jak asks with a gentleman's tone while holding out his elbow at me, a suave smile on his handsom face.

"Yes, we shall," I reply with a laugh, wrapping my arm around his as we walk towards my house. The rest of the walk goes in happy silence, neither one of use saying a thing. Thirty-five minutes of walking later, my house comes into view, the windows dark, indicating that Sparx isn't home. Pulling Jak along, I walk up to the door &amp; unlock the gigantic slab of wood, pushing it open as the living room &amp; kitchen magically light up.

"How'd you do that?" Jak asks after the torches, candles, &amp; the fire pit all ignite, the scent of wonder wafting into the air.

"I didn't, my step-father rigged the house so that when one of us come in &amp; open the door in any room, the candles &amp; torches will light up," I answer nonchalantly, tossing the keys to the house on the small table next to the front door.

"Go ahead &amp; have a seat anywhere you like. Do you want anything?" I ask as we both reach the bottom of the stairs to get to ground level.

"Um, a water would be nice," Jak responds while sitting down on my couch, to which I turn to retrieve his drink. As I begin to fill up Jak's glass of water thanks to my step-father's magic &amp; the already existing pluming, the scent of agony coupled by two or three grunts of pain eminate from where Jak is sitting. Dropping the glass of water into the sink, I rush into the living room to see Jak clutching his head in agony, his teeth clenched in pain.

"Jak, what's wrong!?" I ask worriedly once in the room, smelling both pain &amp; another emotion that I couldn't recognize filling the room.

"N-no! Don't get close, D-Dark's trying to get out!" Jak grinds out between growls of pain, purple lightning arching from his body, the mystery scent becoming stronger, &amp; more obvious as to its identity. Worry encasing my very being, I take a single step forward, only to be stopped by Jak again.

"No! Run! I can't hold him much longer!" Jak screams out while thrusting his hand out, telling me to stop, the scent of pain, of worry, &amp; now the recognizable scent of Dark Eco filling the air as Jak's skin &amp; hair start paling to a deathly purplish/bluish-grey. Suddenly, Jak screams out in pain as his scent changes, the Dark Eco musk I had smelt three days ago overriding his initial scent.

Dark black horns burst from his skull, his nails extend &amp; turn black &amp; sharp, &amp; lastly, Jak's ocean blue eyes become flooded with black, extending from his pupils to cover the entirety of his eyes. Jak slowly stands up as his muscles bulge beneath his shirt &amp; looks up to me (I think, it's kind of hard to tell with pitch-black eyes) with a wicked, toothy smile on his face, inch long fangs replacing the normal canines of his upper jaw.

"Ja- Jak?" I ask, scared of what this new developement is, though I was sure it was Jak called 'Dark'.

"**Jak isn't here anymore, I'm his Eco-alter known as Dark**," he answers with a low laugh, his voice a deeper, sinister version of Jak's.

"What do you want Dark?" I ask, no hint of danger in the air to be found but my own tension.

"**Jak is too much of a wimp to tell you how he feels about you Meldalvyna, so I decided I would for him. But I've never been very good with words, so I think I'll show you instead**," Dark says while walking towards me, my legs paralyzed in fear of what he means, pinning me against the wall to the stairs, the first of his sprawled hands closing off my path up the stairs to the left, the second blocking my exit towards the door to the right, a determined &amp; oddly gentle smile on his face, a scent that I can't recognize through the Dark Eco wafting from him, his face extremely close to my own.

(tigerdj98 Note: Open in a new tab, put in "Do I Wanna Know" in youtube, come back &amp; read while listening)

Using the thumb claw on his left hand, he gently turns my head with my chin to the side &amp; holds it there, silently telling me not to move. With his opposite hand, he pushes some of my hair that had come loose from its braid between &amp; behind the horns on that side of my head.

Leaning his head forward, he brings his lips to my ear, &amp; gently growls, "**I hope you like what Jak, &amp; I, want from you.**"

With that, I hear the slight smack of Dark's mouth opening next to my ear, only to be surprised by what I next feel. Dark's tongue, cold like a corpse, snakes shortly across the upper-left side of my forehead near my hairline, only to end in a gentle kiss, his message clear. He repeats this several times, slowly trailing down the side of my head to the back-corner of my chin, each ending in the most gentle of kisses, only to continue with his process until he reaches the tip of my chin, driving me insane with the want to return Dark's favor with a kiss of my own, but I couldn't move. Shifting himself slightly downward, he continues his show of passion to my neck, this time Dark's licks longer &amp; his kisses more passionate, his fangs harmlessly scratching against my skin. Slowly moving down my neck, he becomes more frantic, that is, until he reaches the beginning of my hood.

"**Do you have the materials to repair this?**" Dark asks mysteriously while motioning to my hood, pulling away from my neck &amp; removing his claw from my cheek, the scent from earlier now obviously having been desire.

"Yeah, why?" I answer, panting heavily, with a question of my own, curious as to why he'd ask about my hood. Using one of his claws &amp; a devious smile, Dark cuts the sleeves of my hood up their length, along with the chest portion straight from the collar of the hood to the bottom, slicing it in half. As I give him a small glare, Dark grasps the now useless material in his clawed right hand &amp; throws it to the stairs with a large smile on his face. He turns back to me &amp; shifts his hands downward to hold the sides of my stomach, his claws gently pushing against my skin.

Continuing his escapade, Dark picks up where he left off, but this time opening his mouth wide to trail his tongue as far as he could without moving his head, ending in a chaste kiss in the crook of my neck. From there, Dark licks inch by inch down the length of my left shoulder, skipping over the area covered by my steel top's strap, pushing me to the brink of shoving him to the closest pile of pillows &amp; continuing his antics there. Sliding one of his hands up my back to rest between the bases of my wings, causing me to arch my back, pushing my chest up &amp; forwards into his chest as he touches the sensitive skin between my wings, making me to dig my claws into the wall &amp; my tail &amp; wings to twitch. Taking this involuntary reflex as some sort of cue, Dark goes from licking my shoulder to licking my chest, ending each in a wet kiss. Dark slowly continues downward, getting closer to my bust, making me a bit wary of his actions.

"_He's taking this a bit far_," I think annoyed, not liking how venturesome Dark was becoming. Suddenly, I feel Dark's tongue reach between my breasts, immediately angering me with his audaciousness, &amp; I push his head backwards &amp; take hold of his goatee, sending him a warning growl with a matching snarl.

Upon seeing my angered face, Dark's face contorts in agony, scaring me into releasing his goatee. He pulls away &amp; pulls his hands up to his face while thrashing to some invisible torment, growling in pain as the Dark Eco lightning again becomes more frantic. Dark's hair begins to lighten up, becoming green at the roots &amp; blond near the tips like Jak's &amp; his skin begins to turn a healthy tan. His pitch-black claws recede &amp; return to fingernails &amp; his onyx black horns retreat into his skull while his muscle-size deflates. His screaming suddenly stops as he removes his hands from his face, his eyes now blue, &amp; I realize that Jak is back.

"Jak?" I ask, just to make sure he is all there. Upon hearing my voice, he rushes me &amp; wraps his arms around me tightly in a hug.

"Meldalvyna! Thank Precursors you're okay, I thought Dark was going to do something terrible to you!" Jak says into my hair, his grip never loosening.

"I-I'm okay Jak, Dark didn't do anything bad to me," I laugh out, surprised by Jak's actions. Pulling away from me, he places his hands on my shoulders, only a second later to pull his left hand back with an expression of disgust.

"Why is your shoulder wet?" Jak asks, his facial expression in his tone, wiping his hand off on his pant leg.

"Oh... well... Dark... he, he showed me how you felt about me," I reply, the blood rushing to my face. Jak's eyes widen with the revelation, his cheeks flooded with a blush of his own, before looking quickly to the side, attempting to hide his blush.

"He said that you were too scared to tell me how you felt, &amp; that he hoped I'd like what you &amp; he wanted from me. And honestly, I've been feeling the exact same way, so yes, I like what you two want from me," I say, now trying to hide a blush myself.

"What will the others say?" Jak asks after a moment, catching my attention as the want from when Dark had control returns to me. I set my hand on his shoulder, &amp; use my opposite hand to hold his chin.

"I don't care what they think. But I do want to do one thing, &amp; before you ask, it is returning Dark's favor," I say with a smile, leaning forward &amp; kissing Jak full on the lips.

"I guess it's settled then," Jak says with a drunken grin when I pull away. With that, we lock back up again, my hands riding up Jak's muscular back as he wraps his arms around my waist. At that moment, to both our horror, the door opens &amp; reveals Sparx, carrying his small collection basket.

**Author's note:** Well, that was WAY longer than I expected. That &amp; I almost had a few "fangirl-gasms" (Lol, so made up!) during the suggestive part of this chapter (didn't know I was a chick, didn't ya?)... 0.o Besides this, I left you guys a nice little cliff hanger, &amp; the antagonist was mentioned in the last chapter, remember, it doesn't have to be a character! SEE YOU GUYS NEXT CHAPTER!


	21. Sparx's Intrusion & Meeting Samos

**Author's note:** Hello everybody! So, I want to know what you guys thought of the suggestive chapter, so please tell me!

**Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, music I use in these chapters, &amp; the places these characters live in. **I was wondering if you readers enjoyed the music selection for last chapter. Now, ON WITH THE STORY!

The beginning of this part is slightly suggestive!

Jak's POV

Like waking up from an extremely deep sleep, I become aware of my surroundings yet again as Dark releases his grip of my body. I feel my throat is hoarse &amp; raw, suggesting I was screaming as I turned back into myself, that &amp; my chin is sore. Afraid of what I'll see, though I know I need to see if Meldalvyna is okay, or not, I slowly remove my hands from my face. To my relief, I see there is no blood on my hands or on the walls &amp; ground infront of me, nor do I smell it in the air.

"Jak?" I hear Meldalvyna ask from somewhere to my left. Without even stopping to check if she is completely okay, I rush her &amp; pull her into a tight hug, a sigh of relief escaping me that she was standing still alive.

"Meldalvyna! Thank Precursors you're okay, I thought Dark was going to do something terrible to you!" I say into her hair without loosening my grip from her waist, once again taking her sweet pine &amp; cherry scent. In those few seconds that Dark was taking over, I had feared that Dark was going to hurt her... or worse, something she'd never forgive me for more than likely.

"I-I'm okay Jak, Dark didn't do anything bad to me," Meldalvyna laughs out, surprise in her voice from my sudden actions. I pull away from her to look at her face &amp; place my hands on her shoulders. Upon setting my hands down, I feel that Meldalvyna's left shoulder is wet with something cold &amp; slimy, ripping my hand away as fast as I could.

"Why is your shoulder wet?" I ask with a tone of disgust, wiping the gross substance off my hand on my pant leg.

"Oh... well... Dark... he, he showed me how you felt about me," Meldalvyna replies in a stammer, a purple blush gracing her midnight cheeks. In that exact moment, Dark shows me him licking &amp; kissing Meldalvyna's neck, causing me to turn my head in an attempt to hide a blush.

"He said that you were too scared to tell me how you felt, &amp; that he hoped I'd like what you want from me. And honestly, I've been feeling the exact same way, so yes, I like what you want from me," Meldalvyna continues, also trying to hide her own blush. I stand there for a moment, letting what she said sink in.

"She actually likes me... wait, how will Daxter react, how will everyone react?" I think to myself, the questions swirling around in my head, Dark nor Light offering any answers to my questions. I, when I get no answer from Dark or Light, turn to Meldalvyna for help.

"What will the others say?" I ask her, causing her to turn her head back towards me, &amp; I notice a look strewn across her obsidian-colored features. Using one hand, she sets her hand on my shoulder, &amp; the other reaches up to cup my chin, looking me dead in the eyes with a soft smile.

"I don't care what they think. But I do want to do one thing, &amp; before you ask, it is returning Dark's favor," Meldalvyna replies, the smile growing larger as she leans forward as she speaks, slowly closing the gap between us. She plants her lips on mine, surprising me with how passionate the small move was. I melt into the small kiss, drowning peacefully in her scent, only to have her pull away.

"I guess it's settled then," I say happily, a drunken smile growing on my face, to which she smiles soon as the words exit my mouth, she begins to kiss me more &amp; I sink yet again into her delicious scent. I wrap my arms around her waist, drawing her even closer to me. Meldalvyna forces her tongue into my mouth, only to flood my sense of taste with a flavor like sweet sugar. Wanting nothing more but to be with her like this forever, I allow her to explore as her hands ride up my back.

Suddenly, the door opens to reveal Sparx carrying a tiny basket in one of his little hands. We leap apart, but apparently not fast enough. Sparx drops his basket on the floor, small butterflies &amp; moths spilling out of the small woven creel, his jaw slack wide with surprise &amp; his small eyes huge. His bewildered gaze flicks between us rapidly as he slowly closes his mouth, an odd smile crossing his insectile face, victorious almost in the expression's appearance.

"And here I thought you two were _just friends_," Meldalvyna's double-step uncle exaggerates, a sarcastic, teasing tone to his voice, his arms crossed. Meldalvyna's face goes red as I look away to rub the back of my neck in embarassment that I was caught with Meldalvyna.

"We weren't doing anything, I promise!" Meldalvyna lies, trying to defend herself &amp; me from his teasing, her face twisted in desperate hope.

"Like I'd believe that! I saw you two leap away from each other as if you were being attacked!" Sparx laughs, a victorious smile on his yellow face. Meldalvyna looks down for a moment, a blush on her face, trying to think of something else to say back to him.

"So, which one of you started it, 'cause I know you didn't just decide 'hey, we should _totally_ make out," Sparx asks, a teasing, sarcastic tone to his voice. My face flushes red as Meldalvyna looks to me for support, knowing I would sum up things the most considering I actually knew the least about what happened.

"That... that would be me... sort of," I say, my head still bent downward in shameful embarassment. Sparx looks at me, an eyebrow raised at me.

"What do you mean by sort of?" Sparx asks, his voice disbelieving. Shifting my weight between my feet, I stand more fully &amp; look him in the eye. With a deep breath, I begin.

"Meldalvyna asked me to come over during zoomer training because she knew you'd be out &amp; that she'd be bored. I agreed, &amp; when I sat on the couch, I could smell Meldalvyna's scent, which caused my Dark Eco alter to take over. The rest is foggy, up until the point where I gained back control, &amp; was relieved to see that Meldalvyna wasn't hurt... or worse... &amp; she told me what Dark had said, &amp; she kissed me," I say, slowly going through the details, leaving a lot of barely any details out, my gaze not leaving Sparx's eyes. "So in the end, we both initiated what you caught us in."

Sparx's expression changes slowly from questioning to freaked out as I detail what had happened before he came in. He buzzes over to his abandoned basket &amp; starts to recollect his things from the ground &amp; into the little container, a thoughtful expression spread across his small face. Seconds go by in silence, the only thing breaking this wall being the sound of the butterflies &amp; moths being put back into the basket.

"So when were you planning to tell everyone, meaning your mother mostly since your step-father is a lovey-dovey gooey kinda guy &amp; would probably be happy with this in the first place, if I hadn't walked in on you two smackin'?" Sparx asks thoughtfully as he shoves the last butterfly into his creel, looking us both in the eyes, his gaze flicking back and forth between Meldalvyna &amp; me. Great fear builds in my chest as I realize I completely forgot about how Cynder might feel when she finds out about this.

"**Oh no, I didn't even think about her mother... we're dead**," Dark says, a scared tone in his voice as an image of a ticked-off Cynder goes through my mind.

"I was planning on telling mom &amp; Spyro the day after they got back, but I was planning on talking it through with Jak first," Meldalvyna answers, looking back to me, a small smile that spelled both 'sorry' &amp; 'please' all at the same time.

"_Yes, we are all Heavenly screwed_," Light adds, the same tone in his voice as Darks, the image of an angry Cynder dropping me from some ridiculously high cliff with jagged rocks at the bottom flowing through my head.

"Jak, did you hear me? I asked if you were alright with being next to me when I tell my parents," Meldalvyna asks, a light impatient tone to her voice &amp; a curious expression on her face.

"Oh, sorry... Dark &amp; Light were talking to me for a second there. Yeah, I'll be there," I say with a reassuring smile, trying to stay on the subject of telling Meldalvyna's &amp; my new-found relationship. Meldalvyna smiles at my answer &amp; starts to walk into the kitchen. As she walks away, I notice a happy sway to her hips &amp; can't help but stare, only to have my happy view blocked by her double-step uncle's annoyed face.

"Now you listen to me," Sparx starts, an angry tone to his voice, "I don't mind that you're dating my double-step niece, &amp; I know you're probably not the kind of guy to do this, but if you try _anything_, I _will_ send Cynder after you." With this he buzzes out of my face with his basket still in his hands, revealing Meldalvyna filling a glass made of some type of yellow crystal from a working faucet, the water clearer than the clearest of glass. Turning off the water, she walks back into the living room &amp; hands me the glass.

"What's this for?" I ask, confused as to why she'd get me something to drink without me asking her for it.

"You asked for a glass of water before Dark took over," Meldalvyna replies with a smile, pulling me to her couch &amp; sits down, patting the cushion next to her for me to sit on.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," I say with a grin, taking a seat next to her, Sparx flying back into the room. Before I could take a drink from the glass, Sparx clears his throat, attempting to call us to attention.

"I'm going to bed. I trust you two around each other, just don't try anything... well, ya' know," Sparx says with a suggestive smile &amp; a yawn, waving his hand in a circular motion at the end of his sentence. Meldalvyna groans in annoyance at the dragonfly's teasing, only for him to laugh as he flies to his room somewhere upstairs.

"So, what do you want to do about telling your friends about us?" Meldalvyna asks as I take a sip from my water, a smile on her face as she looks at me after the sound of Sparx's door closing sounds upstairs.

"I dont' really know yet, I was kind of thinking we could wait until they notice, then tell them," I say after I swallow, a devious smile on my face. Meldalvyna giggles at my proposition, an evil sort of smile spread across her face.

"Yeah, I guess we could do that, but we should try to be just _barely_ incognito about it just to mess with them," Meldalvyna laughs, the devious expression seeping into her voice. I laugh at her variation on my winged plan, nodding in agreement, &amp; take a long drink from the glass, finishing it off.

"I better get going, though. Torn's going to rip me a new one if I'm late or I make either of us late," I say standing, though I didn't want to leave.

"If he tries, I'll rip _him_ a new one &amp; a new eyelid to go with it," Meldalvyna counters with a laugh, taking my glass &amp; walking me to the door. I can't help but chuckle at her mock threat, the image of Torn all bruised up with Meldalvyna fuming in the background going through my head, causing even Light to chuckle a little.

"I'm sure you would, see you tomorrow at one," I say, giving Meldalvyna a quick hug.

"Alright, see you tomorrow," she says back, giving me a kiss on the forehead. I walk out into the cold autumn night. Not wanting to walk all the way back, I turn on my jetboard &amp; ride it back to the lock.

"_Jak, if I may ask you a question?_" Light inquires once I'm inside the city's walls.

"What's up?" I answer as I get onto my cobalt blue zoomer, starting the engine.

"_Why didn't you let me meet Meldalvyna_?" He asks, a curious tone to his normally stern voice. I slow down a little to his odd question. I hadn't really thought of how Light would act around Meldalvyna.

"How was I supposed to know you wanted to introduce yourself to her? You didn't say anything, &amp; you didn't try to force yourself out to meet her either," I say in reply after a moment of thought. Light remains silent for the rest of the ride, as does Dark, who was more than likely asleep from having forcing himself into control &amp; being forced out of control by myself. Once home, I take a short shower, put on my night clothes, set my alarm clock, &amp; pass out on my bed.

Meldalvyna's POV

"I'm going to bed. I trust you two around each other, just don't try anything... well, ya' know," Sparx says with a yawn &amp; a suggestive smile, waving his hand in a random gesture at the end of his sentence. I groan with his teasing &amp; hold back the urge to shoo him up the stairs. I listen for the sound of Sparx's bedroom door closing once he's upstairs, waiting to start talking with the handsome man sitting with me on my couch.

"So, what do you want to do about telling your friends about us?" I ask with a smile once I hear Sparx's door close, Jak taking a sip of from the metalhead-crystal glass as I ask him.

"I dont' really know yet, I was kind of thinking we could wait until they notice, then tell them," Jak replies with a devious smile played across his lips after he swallows. I can't help but chuckle at his proposition, an evil idea blooming in my mind.

"_What if we were to tease his friends, mess with them a little?_" I think to myself evilly, a wicked grin spreading across my face.

"Yeah, I guess we could do that, but we should try to be just _barely_ incognito about it just to mess with them," I laugh, my facial expression in my voice. Jak laughs at my suggestion while nodding his head in agreement. He brings the glass back up to his lips &amp; finishes the drink off.

"I better get going, though. Torn's going to rip me a new one if I'm late or I make either of us late," Jak says standing, though it was obvious in both his tone &amp; scent he didn't want to leave.

"If he tries, I'll rip _him_ a new one &amp; a new eyelid to go with it," I counter with a laugh, taking his cup from him while I walk him to the door. Jak chuckles at my fake threat, his handsome face lit up with light humor, making me smile.

"I'm sure you would, see you tomorrow at one," Jak says, giving me a quick, tight hug.

"Alright, see you tomorrow," I say back, kissing him gently on the forehead. Jak walks out into the chilly autumn night. I walk over to one of the only windows in the house, &amp; watch him turn on his levitating device, dropping it to the ground, where it coats the grass in a strange blue light.

As he takes off down the path, I go away from the windows &amp; into the kitchen to wash the crystal cup from a metalhead's skull gem. I wash the glass quickly, dry off my hands, &amp; get ready for bed. Twenty minutes later, I'm mint-breathed, in night clothes, &amp; drowzy from the relaxing warm water of my earlier bath. Collapsing into my bed after setting my alarm, I pass out as soon as I'm under covers &amp; my head hits the pillow.

The next morning I wake with a start, the alarm clock's obnoxious, shrill beeping scaring me from peaceful slumber. I hop out of bed &amp; go downstairs to brush my hair &amp; eat a small breakfast, then back into the bathroom to brush my teeth. On the way back up the stairs to get dressed for the day, Sparx stops me in the stairway.

"So, how long did Jak stay after I went to bed?" Sparx asks, a parental glare in his eye &amp; the scent of protective curiousity.

"Not very long, about two, three minutes actually," I answer truthfully, knowing how lenient my double-step uncle could be, &amp; not wanting to lie to him. Sparx raises both his eyebrows &amp; continues on down the stairway. I get dressed &amp; drag my disguise, Freedom League armor, &amp; communicator downstairs &amp; set them on the couch.

The rest of the time until twelve pm when I eat lunch, I laze around the house, not knowing what to do. I put on all of my disguise with my Freedom League armor underneath it except my quickly repaired hood &amp; tell Sparx that I'm leaving as I exit the house. The cold air bites at my skin as I fly all the way to the Haven City Forest &amp; Mountain Pass Lock, &amp; land just outside the great metallic doors leading into the city, shivering slightly. I pull my scrappily repaired hood onto my body once on the ground &amp; fold my wings around myself. Not wanting to bother with typing in the lock's code, I phase through both doors using my Shadow element in a single go. Once inside Haven, I message Jak to pick me up with my communicator, leaning against the cold jam of the lock while I wait.

Five minutes go by when I fianlly see Jak speeding in my direction on his zoomer. Slowing to a stop a few feet infront of me, he gets off his vehicle &amp; walks up to me, a bright smile on his face. Upon reaching me, he leans forward &amp; kisses me on the cheek in greeting, his lips warm on my chilled face.

"Hey Meldalvyna," Jak says when he pulls away, the smile never falling from his strong, attractive face.

"Hi Jak, are you ready for today?" I ask with a happy smile on my face while he walks me to his zoomer, our arms intertwined at the elbows.

"Ready as always. Oh, before I forget, Torn wanted to talk with us before we started training today, &amp; he didn't tell me what it's about," Jak responds while helping me onto the seat of his zoomer. I give off a thoughtfull noise in response, curious as to why Torn would want to speak with us.

"Also, Light asked me to let him introduce himself to you some time last night, &amp; he told me there were multiple reasons why, but he didn't tell me any of them besides general generosity," Jak adds as he gets on the zoomer.

"Your Light Eco alter huh?" I say, now having two things to ponder about. Jak just 'mm-hm's in response as we take off in the direction of the Freedom League HQ. We arrive just outside the door of the HQ six minutes later, Torn waiting for us outside with a dark brown suede jacket on &amp; his tan skin tinged red with the frigid morning air.

"Meldalvyna, Jak," Torn says in greeting once we get off the zoomer.

"Torn," Jak &amp; I say back in unison, Jak's arm snaked loosely around my side, both of us having blank expressions. Torn raises an eyebrow &amp; looks us up &amp; down for a second, only to shake his head in dismissal later, the scent of curiosity wafting from him.

"Anyways, due to your progress for the past few days Meldalvyna, &amp; the fact that you obviously don't need any combat training, this will be your last day of zoomer &amp; gun training. Tomorrow, you will go on patrol with Jak. Do not worry, there will be a special hood &amp; cloak waiting for you here tomorrow," Torn says swiftly, giving me a small, congratulating smile, "You are now an official Freedom League officer."

"Thank you, Chief of Arms Torn," I thank happily with a large smile, though I knew no one could see the grin. I hold my hand out for him to shake, which he takes up &amp; shakes.

"I expect to see you here first thing tomorrow with Jak at eleven am," Torn says as Jak &amp; I walk back to Jak's zoomer.

"Yessir, see you then," I respond as I get on the zoomer, Jak getting on after me. Jak pulls the zoomer off towards the racing arena. Whe pull up four minutes later just outside the building, Jak helping me down after he turns off &amp; flight-locks his zoomer. Wrapping one of his lean, muscular arms around my waist, we walk into the large racing stadium to begin my final day of training.

"Hey Meldalvyna, do you want to go to the Naughty Ottsel later to celebrate your full initiation into the Freedom League?" Jak asks as we walk down the hall together.

"Sure," I respond, a smile in my face when I imagine what Daxter's &amp; Tess's faces will be like as they try to figure out what is going on between Jak &amp; me.

Upon reaching the door, I see Keira talking with a short, green-skinned man half her height, but appearing to be thrice her age. The man had a large log perched ontop of his head, wrapped up in its center by a length of white hair, &amp; a beard that stretched down past his hips. The man wore glasses, a dark green tunic, &amp; an autumn leaf-orange cloth around his waist, as well as dark green shorts &amp; think platform sandals made of thick slabs of wood. I knock on the metal door frame, causing both the elderly man &amp; Keira to look up at Jak &amp; me.

"Jak, Meldalvyna, just the two people I wanted to see!" Keira says happily, rushing up &amp; giving the both of us a hug. She then pulls me into her garage &amp; towards the little old man, Jak unwrapping his arm from my side as he follows behind Keira &amp; me.

"Jak my boy, how have you been?" the green man asks with a smile of recognization on his face, his voice kind &amp; wise, but obvious that it would be scary when angry.

"I'm good Samos, you?" Jak responds with a question of his own, a smile on his face.

"I've been good. You must be Meldalvyna, I'm Samos Hagai, Keira's father," the old man greets, turning his attention to me, holding his hand out for me to shake.

"Hello Samos, it is a pleasure to meet you sir," I greet back with a happy tone to my voice as I shake his hand, Samos's current mannerisms reminding me of the Guardian Cyril's.

"Please, do not be afraid to remove your hood, Keira has told me a lot about you," Samos says, an encouraging tone to both his voice &amp; scent, which smelled of Green Eco. I lower my hood &amp; unwrap my wings &amp; tail from around myself, letting my braided hair fall in its thick red rope behind me. Samos's eyes widen for tiny part of a second in surprise, only to shrink back down to their state they had been before.

"My, I don't believe I've ever quite seen anything quite like you, my dear," Samos says, a stunned tone to his voice.

"Well, I'm not quite the average creature though," I say with a joking smile to my face.

"Excuse us, Samos, but this is Meldalvyna's last day of training according to Torn, &amp; I want her to ace the official Freedom League zoomer today, &amp; then try to make it to the gun corse later before the day ends," Jak says, pulling me gently towards the track in effort to get started.

"Oh, alright, see you two when you finish," Samos says in dismissal, a fatherly smile on his face.

"I'll be down in a minute with the zoomer in a minute, Meldalvyna feel free to fly around the track a few times, it's a new one," Keira says as she pulls out her large device, that Jak has told me is a control pad for the race track. As we leave the garage for the race track, Jak wraps his arm back around my waist while we walk.

**Author's note:** Well, that chapter way kind of big, but most definately not as big as the last one, &amp; the next one might be a bit more interesting. I honestly apologize if you readers didn't find it as entertaining as the last one, but if you have any comments (no flames), ideas, suggestions, or questions, please leave them in the reviews &amp; I will try to answer them. See you guys next chapter!


	22. Meeting Light & Ashelin

**Author's note: **Hello everybody &amp; welcome to yet another chapter of "Of Two Worlds"! I do hope all you readers enjoyed my last chapter, though, in my vote, it was kinda boring (0.o). I also hope you will like this chapter! Now, before I forget, there is **one question at the bottom I want everyone that reads this here story to answer**.

Now, for the appropriate credits so I don't get into trouble with copyright stuff... **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, music I use in these chapters, &amp; the places these characters live in.** Now, on with the story!

Meldalvyna's POV

As we walk to the zoomer elevator next to the race track, Jak unwraps his arm from around my waist &amp; follows me onto the track, the scent of curiosity wafting from him. He walks to the center of the track with me, a sort of determined, curious look on his handsome face. As I get into starting position, I look at him to see a wanting look in his eye, like he wanted to ask me something, but wasn't sure he should.

"What is it?" I ask him, the look making me both curious &amp; worried. Jak shakes his head quickly in the realization he was being spoken to, as if he had been spacing out.

"Oh, um, nothing too important," Jak responds, trying to cover up what ever it was he was thinking. I tip my head to the side, giving him the 'oh really' look, &amp; the 'oh sure' smile, making it blatantly obvious I wasn't taking his response for an answer. Jak takes a deep breath, knowing I had him pinned, &amp; that he wasn't going to get out without giving me a proper answer.

"Fine. Light was wondering if, one, he could meet you, &amp; two, you could show him how to fly better &amp; faster," Jak says with a bashful huff, almost like an uncertain laugh. The notion that Light wishes to be taught by me how to fly catches me off guard.

"Um... sure, I guess I could... I mean... yeah... I think I could teach Light how to fly better &amp; faster," I stumble, my mind moving too fast for my mouth to keep up with. Jak gets closer &amp; hugs me, planting a gentle kiss to my forehead in thanks.

"By the way, before Light takes over, I just want you to know he glows blue &amp; his eyes glow white, usually when I just change into Light on someone without telling them what he looks like first, they get thrown off kinda at first," Jak says while taking a step back, a laughing shy smile on his face.

Suddenly, Jak's skin does exactly what he said it would, but I couldn't see his eyes. Two huge wings that looked like tentacles with a barely visible sheet of blue silk between them sprout from his back, glowing a light blue just like his skin, each wing made up of four tentacle-like ribs. Jak's eyes finally open, revealing a bright white glow replacing his normally ocean blue eyes, like spirits at midnight. Jak is now replaced by his Light Eco alter.

"Hello Light," I say quietly, put in awe by scent of calmness comming off him, his presence seeming to demand both respect &amp; tranquility.

"_Hello Princess Meldalvyna_," Light returns nodding his head in greeting, his voice stern, kind, &amp; respectful, not too much unlike Jak's, but definitely less gruff.

"Call me Meldalvyna, in a way, I'm your girlfriend too," I say, politely reminding him of his partial relationship with me. Light makes an 'oh yeah' kind of expression, nodding his head gentily in response.

"_So, shall we begin my training? I can fly next to you along the track so you can guage my skill, &amp; work from there_," Light suggests, standing next to me, a kind smile on his face.

"Okay, we can do that, come on," I say, leaping into the air to hover a few feet above Light's head. With a powerful flap of his own, Light lifts into the air with a shaky sort of grace &amp; starts to fly forward when I motion ahead of myself with my hands. As we fly slowly around the track, I notice several things about how Light flew that made it difficult. Several minutes of flying later, we land together, Light's landing harsh &amp; stiff.

"_How did I do?_" Light asks, looking to me once I land.

"Well, let's start off with your take off. You'll want to jump as high as you can, &amp; beat your wings at the peak heighth, &amp; you should jump at an angle so at the top of the jump, your stomach is facing the ground, unless you want to hover over the ground, which then you angle your wings inward &amp; towards the ground, giving you lift," I begin, Light nodding as I explained. With a deep breath, I continued on with my explination.

"While flying, it is important to do almost an elongated rowing motion with your wings when you flap, like your scooping the air under your wings from infront of you, angling upwards &amp; towards the front on the up-stroke, then transitioning to downwards &amp; behind you on the down-stroke, not leaning your body forward, &amp; don't hold your arms out to the side, it may seem to make you more aerodynamic, but all it does is slow you down, so just hold them close to your body," I continue, going through the motions with my wings &amp; arms for example, Light's only reactions being nodds &amp; the occasional 'oh' or 'huh'. With yet another deep breath, I push forward.

"Taking turns is another thing. You don't want to try to turn horizontally, remember, gravity &amp; inertia together is your friend, so use it &amp; lean in the direction you want to go while flapping, &amp; for sharper turns, you can arch your back &amp; push your chest in the direction you want to go once you've leaned in order to make it a bit tighter &amp; faster, &amp; trying to increase or decrease altitude is exactly the same, other than that, you're alright for a beginner," I finish with a huff, going through the motions with my body to make my explination a bit clearer, Light nodding the entire time.

"_What about landing, I've always had trouble with that part_," Light says before I could continue my long-winded flight lecture. I stop dead in my tracks, realizing that I hadn't really thought of how he was supposed to land.

"Oh, that. Hm... well, you'll definitely want to slow down while angling yourself downwards, a lot, before landing, which means you'll want to angle your up-strokes &amp; down-strokes infront of you &amp; downwards, but still do the scooping motion. Once you've slowed down enough, you'll want to put yourself in a standing position &amp; give a few smaller beats to lower yourself to the ground softly," I respond, giving a soft smile as I finally finish off my explination &amp; beginners' tips on flying.

"_I do believe it would be best if you trained me in lessons, so that I may practice each part of what you told me just now_," Light says, a thoughtful expression on his face, his hand on his chin in contemplation. I nodd my head with a smile, shrugging my shoulders in agreement to his suggestion.

"_I must be going now, Keira is almost here, see you again when you wish to train me_," Light says quickly, walking closer to me, giving me a swift hug &amp; a swifter kiss to the forehead, the action gentle &amp; loving. Before I could return the gesture, Light steps back &amp; touches his forehead with his fingers as his glowing blue skin &amp; white eyes return to Jak's tan complection &amp; blue irised eyes in less than a second, a white-ish blue cloud lifting misting from his skin near his head.

"So, how'd it go?" Jak asks when he opens his eyes, an almost sleepy smile on his face.

"Good, we plan on doing lessons so he can work on his flight with me actively teaching him, if it's alright with you," I answer nodding my head lightly as I speak. Jak nodds in response, shrugging his shoulders in agreement to the suggestion, saying 'sure' without speaking.

At that moment, Keira appears on the zoomer elevator with a blue single-person Freedom League zoomer next to her, the lift soundless as it descends to the ground, a smile on Keira's face as she catches sight of us on the track. The rest of zoomer training goes without a hitch, &amp; I am promised to receive a driver's license in a week or so as Jak &amp; I leave for the gun range still owned by the Freedom League, forgetting to tell me how fast in miles-per-hour I had flown the day before. I pass the final test of my gun training in flying colors, &amp; once done, Jak &amp; I head for the Naughty Ottsel.

Jak pulls to a stop just outside the door to the bar, an other zoomer taking the spot where Jak parked the last time we visited the Naughty Ottsel. Helping me off the zoomer, Jak gives me a swift kiss to the cheek, only to wrap one of his arms around my waist once my feet are firmly on the ground.

The automatic doors open infront of us after we knock &amp; reveal ourselves, as it was after hours on a weekday, releasing the strong scent of various alcohals &amp; cigarette smoke into the harbor air. As we walk in, I see Torn sitting at the bar, looking straight at us, a tumbler in his hand full of a dark-colored alcohal.

"Torn, what brings you here?" Jak asks with a curious smile on his face when we make it to the bar table.

"I had a feeling this is where you two'd be when you finished training. So Meldalvyna, how'd you do?" Torn asks, a small smile on his face as his face turns to mine.

"I passed both final tests, &amp; Keira promised me my proffesional driving license in a week or so," I answer while pulling my hood down, relaxing into the familiar atmosphere with a smile on my face. Torn congratulates me, giving me a Freedom League officer's badge to pin to one of my arm plates. Daxter leaps up onto the counter next, a huge smile on his small face.

"Jak, Meldalvyna! What's happinin'?" he asks, a goofy tone to his voice.

"Nothin' much, Meldalvyna just completed her training, so we thought we'd come here to celebrate a little," Jak replies, smiling from his childhood friend's antics, squeezing his arm around my waist a little as he speaks. Tess then jumps onto the bar counter. Upon seeing us, she leaps from the counter onto my shoulder &amp; gives my head a 'hello' hug, then does the same thing to Jak.

"Hey guys, I see you two have gotten a bit more friendly around each other," Tess says after looking us up &amp; down when she jumps back onto the bar counter, a teasing smile on her small face. With a defiant smile on my face, I tip my head enough so that it touches Jak's, careful not to stab him with one of my horns.

"You couldn't be more correct, Tess," Jak says, sporting a devious smile of his own &amp; a playful glint in his eye.

"Woah, wait a minute! You two are... you're... Jak, you _sly dog_! I knew you had feelings for Meldalvyna!" Daxter exclaims with a huge smile on his face, just now noticing our positions &amp; understanding what we meant. Torn quirks an eyebrow at us, a smile on his face nonetheless.

"You know, I had a feeling you two were together when you came to the HQ this morning, I just wasn't so sure, so I didn't say anything," Torn says, the smile evident in his voice. Before either I or Jak could say anything back, a knock at the door sounds out in the room.

"Who's there?!" Daxter calls out loudly. I pull up my hood incase the person on the opposite side of the door was someone I hadn't yet met.

"It's Ashelin!" a female voice responds from the opposite side, the name taking me back.

"_Ashelin? Baroness Ashelin?!_" I think to myself, surprised that the Baroness herself would come to the Naughty Ottsel.

"Ashelin! Come on in!" Daxter says with a smile as he presses a button under the bar counter that unlocks the motion-activated door, Jak unwrapping his arm from my side.

The door opens to reveal a strong looking woman with black tattoos on her face that went down to her neck with checkering that stopped near the ends of her ears like a KG, her red hair pulled into tight cornrows that extended off her head to fall to her shoulders, &amp; eyes that were as green as emeralds. The woman had on a blood red belly shirt on that didn't leave much to the imagination to what lay underneath it with a navy-blue, long-sleeved jacket bedecked with accents of red that extended just barely past the reach of her shirt. Her pants, the same color as her jacket, had gaps on the outside of the legs, as well as brown belts with a red gem per belt &amp; metal bars just above &amp; below her knees, a gun holster with a pistol inside strapped around her left thigh, &amp; the straps of a black thong appearing from underneath her pants on her hips. The main part of her boots were the same color as her pants &amp; jacket, but the toe was red like her shirt, &amp; had a silver spike sticking off the toe, &amp; had white soles. This was definitely Baroness Ashelin.

Jak's POV

"So, how'd it go?" I ask when I awake from Light's control, sleepily smiling when I notice her looking at me with a smile of her own.

"Good, we plan on doing lessons so he can work on his flight with me actively teaching him, if it's alright with you," Meldalvyna responds, nodding lightly as she speaks. I nodd in response while shrugging my shoulders, gesturing to her that it was alright with me.

At that moment, I catch sight of Keira descending on the zoomer lift with a single-person, standard Freedom League zoomer next to her. She smiles when she catches sight of us on the track. I resist the urge to put my arm around Meldalvyna, wanting to get Keira guessing if Meldalvyna &amp; I were together as well, &amp; stand where I am, not wanting to tease my ex &amp; childhood friend. Meldalvyna passes the final zoomer tests without a single mistake, &amp; Keira promises to have Meldalvyna's Freedom League driver's license in a week or so as we leave for the shooting range. Meldalvyna passes the final gun test in a flourish of perfection, &amp; leave the gun range for the Naughty Ottsel to celebrate.

Five minutes later, I pull to a stop outside the Naughty Ottsel just outside the door, my usual parking space already taken by a zoomer. I hop off the zoomer when I shut the vehicle off &amp; help Meldalvyna down from the machine, giving her a quick kiss to her cheek as I help her to the ground.

Wrapping my arm around her waist once her feet are on the ground, I knock on the door to the Naughty Ottsel, &amp; Meldalvyna &amp; I reveal ourselves when asked who we were, as it's after hours since the Naughty Ottsel closes early on weekdays. The strong scent of alcohal &amp; cigarette smoke blasts into the night air of the harbor. Upon entering, I immediately notice Torn sitting at the bar counter, a drink in hand &amp; his back to the counter, one elbow propped on the wooden countertop.

"Torn, what brings you here?" I ask the Freedom League's Cheif of Arms with a smile on my face when we make it to the bar counter ourselves.

"I had a feeling this is where you two'd be when you finished training. So Meldalvyna, how'd you do?" Torn asks Meldalvyna turning his attention to her, a smile on his tattooed face.

"I passed both final tests, &amp; Keira promised me my proffesional driving license in a week or so," Meldalvyna answers while pulling down her hood, a relaxed smile on her face. Torn gives her a short congratulation, handing her a Freedom League officer badge to pin to one of the arms of her Freedom League armor. A second later, Daxter leaps onto the counter with a huge smile on his face.

"Jak, Meldalvyna! What's happinin'?" he asks, a goofy tone to his voice. Unable to resist the urge, I decide to surreptitiously tease him.

"Nothin' much, Meldalvyna just completed her training, so we thought we'd come here to celebrate a little," I respond with a smile at his antics, &amp; my own of course, tightening my grip slightly around Meldalvyna's waist as I talk. Tess then jumps onto the bar counter next. Upon seeing us, she leaps from the countertop &amp; onto Meldalvyna's shoulder, giving her head a quick squeeze before repeating the same greeting on me.

"Hey guys, I see you two have gotten a bit more friendly around each other," Tess says after looking us up &amp; down when she jumps back onto the counter, a teasing smile on her small face. A sort of evil smile crosses Meldalvyna's face as she leans he head so that her forehead touched mine.

"You couldn't be more correct, Tess," I say with a devious expression, taking the hint Meldalvyna was giving me. Daxter's jaw drops as he realizes the meaning of what I had said, causing both Dark &amp; Light to snigger in the back of my mind, Tess' eyes widening in revelation as well.

"Woah, wait a minute! You two are... you're... Jak, you SLY DOG! I knew you had feelings for Meldalvyna!" Daxter exclaims when he finally connects all the dots, a huge smile on his face. Torn quirks an eyebrow curiously at us, a questioning smile on his face.

"You know, I had a feeling you two were together when you came to the HQ this morning, I just wasn't so sure, so I didn't say anything," Torn says, a smile in his voice, but I knew what his facial expression meant. He held the one expression I've learned to hate, the expression of unacceptance, attempting to cover it up with a forced smile. Just as I'm about to confront him about it, the sound of a knock at the door rings out across the room.

"Who's there?!" Daxter calls out loudly to the person on the other side of the door. Meldalvyna pulls up her hood, securing her identity incase it is someone she hasn't met yet.

"It's Ashelin!" a female voice calls back, no doubt belonging to the person it claims to be.

"Ashelin! Come on in!" Daxter says with a smile as he presses the unlock button for the door, &amp; I unwrap my arm from Meldalvyna's side, since like Torn, she more than likely wouldn't accept my relationship with Meldalvyna. Less than a second later, the door wooshes open to reveal the Baroness herself, dressed in her usual garb.

"Hey guys, how've you been?" Ashelin asks once inside, a smile on her face. A collection of different responses filter out of the other people in the room except for Meldalvyna &amp; I, as I just shrug with a small smile on my face. Torn stands from his seat &amp; walks up to Ashelin, giving her a quick hug, only to walk her to the bar counter &amp; to a seat next to where he had been sitting a second before, giving me a suggestive smile as she passed bye. Upon sitting down, Ashelin looks at Meldalvyna, a curious look on her face.

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking, I can tell you're a friend, or else you wouldn't be in here," Ashelin asks Meldalvyna, a sickly sweet tone of curiosity to her voice, leaning forward, trying to see into Meldalvyna's black hood.

"I'm Meldalvyna, a new friend of Jak's, &amp; a new recruit of the Freedom League, you must be Baroness Ashelin Praxis," Meldalvyna responds in a low voice, the only evidence of her head turning being the shape of the opening of her hood shifting in Ashelin's direction. A flash of recognition crosses Ashelin's face as a small, forced smile crosses her red-stained lips as the room quiets from the evident rising tension.

"Oh so _you're_ the Meldalvyna I've been hearing so much about, &amp; yes, I'm the Ashelin you speak of, but don't worry, I've been a friend of everyone in this room for quite a while. Go ahead &amp; take down you're hood, I've heard from Torn here what you look like, but I still would like to see you for myself," Ashelin says now standing, her faux smile now replaced with a real one.

"If you wish, Miss _Praxis_," Meldalvyna says, pulling off her hood as she speaks. Ashelin's expression doesn't even budge as Meldalvyna's face is revealed to her, the lack of surprise in her face making me curious.

"** I think Torn might've shown that video of Meldalvyna fighting to her**," Dark says, a low growl to his voice rumbling through my skull.

"_It seems he has, either that or she is good at hiding her surprise_," Light agrees, adding in his own thoughts as well.

"My, you look exactly like Torn said. Welcome to Haven City &amp; the Freedom League, Meldalvyna," Ashelin says after a second, a satisfied look on her face. Her tone said it all, Ashelin was treating Meldalvyna like she was a little kid, &amp; I wasn't going to have any of it.

"You know _Ashelin_, you're speaking to a _princess_," I say with a grimace, not bothering to hold back my annoyance with the Baroness. Meldalvyna looks back at me, a curious, worried look on my face, no doubt noticing the anger in my voice. Ashelin's eyes widen before turning to Torn, an expression that angrily read 'forget something' on her face.

"I had no idea... heh... m-my apologies your majesty," Ashelin stutters with her eyes wide, bowing her head as she addressed Meldalvyna. Meldalvyna quirks an eyebrow first at Ashelin, then to me.

"Please, no need to call me that, though I would appreciate if you wouldn't talk to me like I was a child, I can smell the dislike for me on you, I am not blind in my senses, nor am I an idiot," Meldalvyna says with a small frown, making it apparent she had been picking up on Ashelin's dissing.

"And, given Jak &amp; I's 'friendship', I do believe you should meet my mother &amp; step-father, the Queen &amp; King of the dragon city of Warfang, when they get back from their meeting with the Chronicler, to set up a treaty of peace between our two lands," Meldalvyna continues, her tone unwavering.

"Yes, when will they be back?" Ashelin asks, her voice a bit shakey.

"They won't be back for another four, so you'll have time to collect yourself before you speak with them," Meldalvyna says with a look that sets even me on edge. Ashelin nodds her head slowly a few seconds later, letting the information sink in.

"WELL THEN... that was definitaly a mood killer, I was ready for a huge brawl to start with all that tension. Why don't we all settle down &amp; have a drink?" Daxter says with a shakey chuckle, a nervous quiver to his voice from the tension. Looking at Meldalvyna, I can see in her face she didn't want to be around Ashelin any longer than she had to.

"You know, I think we'll come back a little later in the week, maybe tomorrow, 'cause honestly, I don't want any fights to start, so I think it'd be best if we cooled down a little," I say with a forced tone of sincerity. Meldalvyna nodds while pulling up her hood, sending a snarl at Ashelin &amp; Torn just before her face was hidden in the shadow of the recesses of her hood.

"Oh, okay then... uh... see you sometime this week, bye guys," Tess says, a dissapointed tone to her voice. All I do in response in throw a wave into the room as we exit the bar &amp; into the night.

"Ashelin really isn't that bad once you get to know her... she just... isn't very easy around new faces, &amp; I should know, we met with her having me in a headlock with a pistol pointed at my temple," I say to Meldalvyna once the door closes, trying to smooth things over with a bit of my own experience with the Baroness.

"I could tell Torn didn't like the fact you &amp; I are together, &amp; that Ashelin doesn't like me, Jak," she responds from on the zoomer, a frown on her face.

"Well, like you said, I don't care what they think, I still wouldn't have you any other way," I say as I get onto the zoomer, sending a supportive smile over my shoulder to her as she wraps her arms around my waist, kissing me lightly on the back of the ear.

"Thank you Jak for supporting me back there. I sure hope Ashelin is like what you said," Meldalvyna says softly as I start the engine, nuzzling her forehead into the area between my shoulder blades just under the base of my neck.

"Of course I'd support you, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?" I say with a tone I could only describe as sincere. Pulling away from the Naughty Ottsel, I drive Meldalvyna back to the Haven Forest &amp; Mountain Pass Lock, &amp; all the way to her house, with my arm around her waist.

**Author's note:** Well, that chapter was a bit strange, &amp; I had you readers thinking it was going to be all happy stuff, didn't I? Now, **the question is: DO YOU READERS THINK I HAVE DARK &amp; LIGHT INCLUDED ENOUGH IN JAK'S POV?** Please, leave your answers in the reviews! See you all next chapter!


	23. One Day Left & Meeting Carl & Luke

**Author's note: **Well, hello to all that happen to still be reading this story this far! I apologize profusely if your favorite character is Ashelin, 'cause I kind'a dissed her alot last chapter, because I didn't really know how to write for her (0.o).

Anyways, as required, appropriate credits... **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, music I use in these chapters, &amp; the places these characters live in.** Now, I really do really need answers to the question I asked last chapter! Besides that, enjoy!

Jak's POV

As I rode my jet-board through the dark back to the Lock, the cold air nipping at my exposed skin, I couldn't help but think at how roughly Torn took to learning Meldalvyna &amp; I just started dating, &amp; how Ashelin treated Meldalvyna. The way they completely dejected Meldalvyna ticked my right the hell off. When I saw Torn's unaccepting, close to appalled face, I wanted to punch him in the face then &amp; there.

" **What happened to not caring what others thought? You know what, we should go ****_make _****them accept your relationship with Meldalvyna**," Dark growls, an almost giddy tone, though still obviously annoyed, to his deeper version of my voice as I ride the lift across the chasm before the warp-gate.

"_Though I normally do not like any sort of violence, I must agree with Dark. Though, I would not want to do it as violently as Dark is thinking_," Light adds, a small annoyed growl to his voice even as I jump through the warp-gate.

"Then how should we do it?" I ask Light, curious as to what his suggestion is, knowing all to well what Dark wants to do as I walk to the Lock &amp; punch in the code.

"_Well, we COULD do something with your birth right to the throne of Haven City, but none of us want to do something that Baron Praxis could have done_," Light starts, a thoughtful tone to his voice as I walk through the Lock.

"**Or we could just let me smack them around until they accept us being with Meldalvyna, I wouldn't ****_kill_**** them, just beat the hell out'a 'em**," Dark suggests, his voice gruff with annoyance as the Lock's door closes behind me.

"I can't stand this anymore! I have an idea, though I know we won't like it very much," I shout in my head, not wanting to deal with Light &amp; Dark argueing. Not hearing any reply from Dark or Light, I take a deep breath &amp; continue, getting onto my zoomer.

"I think we should give Torn a chance to get used to my relationship with Meldalvyna, &amp; give Ashelin &amp; Meldalvyna a chance to get to know each other, then let Asheling get used to me being with Meldalvyna," I say with a huff, hearing a groan from Dark &amp; a thoughtful 'hm' from Light.

"And if that doesn't work, I can threaten to take my place as ruler of Haven City whatever the means, &amp; then let you, Dark, punch Torn in the nose infront of Ashelin," I say, trying to satisfy both of my Eco alters. To my luck, neither one of them disagree, &amp; I start my zoomer &amp; drive to my apartment. Once home, I get ready for bed &amp; fall into a deep, but fitful sleep lacking dreams.

As the week continued on, I couldn't help but to count down the days until Meldalvyna's mother &amp; step-father return from their trip to the Chronicler's, each day making me more &amp; more nervous. Even Dark was nervous, which is saying something huge, since usually he's fearless.

Thinking about Meldalvyna, though, made me feel a bit better. The day after the incident in the Naughty Ottsel, Meldalvyna got her hooded cloak, which was blue &amp; black, &amp; actually slid over her wings like a glove, &amp; Torn didn't get a disgusted look on his face when she kissed me in her moment of glee. She looked absolutely beautiful in her new cloak, though a bit bulky in some areas where the cloak bubbled above the membrane of her wings. She didn't care though, &amp; we went on patrol together, talking happily to each other the entire time. Later that same day after my shift was over, we went to the Naughty Ottsel, &amp; were happy to find that Ashelin was nowhere to be seen, &amp; celebrated her first day as an official Freedom League officer.

Today, though, I couldn't fell anything but a deep pit of fear in my stomach &amp; the cold of the November morning wind whipping against my exposed skin as I flew through the city. The anxiety not leaving me as I drove to the Haven City Forest &amp; Mountain Pass Lock, I couldn't help but think for the twentieth time today, "Meldalvyna's parents are supposed to come back tomorrow afternoon, &amp; maybe even earlier."

Upon reaching the Lock, I see Meldalvyna's blue-cloaked form leaned against the jam of the Lock. Rubbing her gloved &amp; armored hands together in efforts to make them warmer, clouds of steam rising from the opening of her hood repeatedly with each breath, I could tell she was cold, &amp; speed up to get to her faster.

"Hey Jak," she say when I stop infront of her, a smile evident in her voice, as well a slight shiver. Meldalvyna climbs onto the back of my zoomer before I could reply &amp; hugs herself tightly against my back, her arms wrapped around my waist.

"Hey Meldalvyna, you wan'na stop somewhere to warm up before we start patrol?" I ask, feeling her shiver from the cold. I feel her shift her position &amp; her chin rest on my right shoulder.

"Nah, it's alright. I'll be fine, I just need to walk around a little to get back some warmth," Meldalvyna replies as she nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck, her face cold to the touch, only for her to pull away &amp; push her cheeck up against the base of my neck between my shoulder blades.

"You know, I could ask Torn if we could use one of the transport zoomers for patrol if you want," I suggest looking behind me with a tone of hope as I feel her shiver for a second time, worry for her well-being taking me over. I feel Meldalvyna jump a little when the suggestion come out of my mouth.

"Sure!" Meldalvyna nearly yells, obviously wanting nothing more than to be warm, squeezing me slightly with her arms. With a small smile, I take off towards the Freedom League Head Quarters. To our luck, Torn agrees to let us use an air-tran, since it was, as he says 'a desert's winter out there'. The patrol goes without any ruckus from the citizens, which has become rare since the defeat of Cyber-Errol &amp; the Dark Makers, &amp; we return the air-tran just before the dinner rush.

"_You know, we still haven't asked her about the significance of a purple dragon yet_," Light says as I drive to the Freedom League HQ to clock out both Meldalvyna &amp; myself.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that, thank's Light," I reply, the memory of that inquisition slapping me in the face. Coming to a stop outside the the HQ, I jump off the zoomer after turning the machine off &amp; help Meldalvyna down from her seat.

"Hey Meldalvyna, I've been meaning to ask you, &amp; I feel like you've told me this before, but, what is so important about a purple dragon?" I ask nonchalantly, looking her in the eye out of curiosity. Meldalvyna's hood turns toward me &amp; I could feel her gaze on me. A second goes by in silence, the air cold &amp; electric between us.

"Well," she begins, her voice thoughtful &amp; very serious, "there have only been two purple dragons: the Dark Master &amp; my step-father. So far, the trend is that they are born once every ten generations, &amp; can master all the Elements &amp; have special abilities no other color of dragon can possess, but you already know the last two."

"Wow... no wonder you made such a big deal out of it last week," I breath, the information sinking in like a ton of bricks in water. Meldalvyna simply smiles at me before continuing to the door of the HQ. We walk together into the building, &amp; clock out, Torn nowhere to be seen in the main room.

Back on my zoomer, I drive to the Naughty Ottsel, wanting to stop there to warm up a little before walking Meldalvyna back to her house. Pulling up infront of the bar door, I notice three zoomers parked next to the door as well. One of them is the one I had seen three days ago, an other one is cherry red, &amp; the final one, which is an ocean blue, I noticed belonged to Keira. Ignoring the creeping feeling from seeing the two mystery zoomers parked there, I jump off my single-seater &amp; help Meldalvyna down from the contraption, giving her a light kiss on the forehead as her feet touch the ground. Together, we walk to the door &amp; I knock on the door.

"Who is it?!" I hear Daxter shout on the other side.

"Jak &amp; Meldalvyna!" I reply back with a shout. The door unlocks &amp; flies open, revealing the owners of the two mystery zoomers. I see Torn &amp; Ashelin sitting next to each other, their heads turned towards the door as Meldalvyna pulls down the hood to her new cloak. Upon seeing Meldalvyna &amp; me, Ashelin's face contorts into one of surprise &amp; her eyes go wide with slight fear.

"Torn, Ashelin, what a surprise," I say sarcastically, not really wanting another confrontation between the Baroness &amp; Meldalvyna to happen.

"Hello Jak, Meldalvyna," Ashelin says while standing up, an actually happy tone to her voice, throwing me for a loop.

"What is going on? Did Ashelin suddenly decide to be nice or something?" I think to myself as Ashelin approaches us, Ashelin's actions confusing me to no end. Before either Dark or Light can put in their guesses, Ashelin starts talking again, now directly infront of us, a guitly look on her face.

"Meldalvyna, I'm extremely sorry for how I treated you last time we met, I'm just... uneasy around new faces, I do hope you forgive me," Ashelin says with a hopeful smile on her face, holding out her hand.

"I accept your apology, but if you cross me, I will not be as kind," Meldalvyna warns as she shakes the Baroness's hand, a light, forced smile on her face.

"Thank you. Now, what time tomorrow would you like me to come over to discuss the treaty with the King &amp; Queen of... um?" Ashelin stutters off, forgetting the name of the dragon city, a genuinely curious look on her face. Meldalvyna's expression twitches for a second &amp; she looks between Ashelin &amp; I, a thoughtful gleam in her eyes.

"Warfang. And actually, I do believe you should come Sunday instead of tomorrow, so I can inform my mother &amp; step-father of what happened while they were gone, if that is alright with you," Meldalvyna suggests, her voice less tense &amp; angry.

"Oh, alright then, please call me when you have a time, I should be free Sunday, so feel free, here is my number," Ashelin replies with a genuine smile on her face, &amp; hands Meldalvyna a calling card, which she puts into one of the chest pockets of her armor, nodding in settlement with a smile of her own.

"I must be going, it is getting late, see you again Sunday, Meldalvyna. See you tomorrow, Torn," Ashelin says with an air of finality, walking back to the bar counter to give Torn a hug before whisking out the door. As the door closes behind the Baroness, Meldalvyna turns to Torn, a question in her expression.

"Cheif of Arms Torn, can Jak &amp; I have half of the morning shift tomorrow? My mother &amp; step-father should be home around noon, &amp; I would like Jak to be there when I tell them about my relationship with him," Meldalvyna asks quickly, a hopeful expression in everything about her. Torn's eyes widen with the suddenness of the question.

"Yes, if you two come back immediately afterwards &amp; patrol an hour past the end of your normal shift," Torn replies, a stern expression on his tattooed face. Meldalvyna immediately looks to me, looking for my answer. I shrug a 'sure', to which she smiles &amp; turns her attention back to Torn.

"Then it is settled! Thank you, sir!" Meldalvyna says with a huge smile on her face. Torn shrugs, &amp; turns back to his drink.

"**Something's off, I just can't place it, it's too quiet in here**," Dark says, a curious tone to his deep voice.

"So Jak, Meldalvyna, how was patrol today?!" Daxter nearly screams from his spot on the counter, the fur on his chest puffed up in annoyance. That's when it hits me, Daxter or Tess hasn't spoken since before Meldalvyna &amp; I came in.

"It was cold, but alright. Why did you have to yell though?" Meldalvyna replies, ending in a question while rubbing around a spot between the second longest &amp; the shortest horns on the left side of her head, which is where I guess her ear would be.

"Because I asked you guys as soon as you two came in, &amp; tried to ask a second time after Ashelin left &amp; before YOU and Torn started talking!" Daxter says with an air of annoyance, pointing an accusing, furry finger at Meldalvyna as he finished.

"Sorry Dax, we didn't hear you, where's Tess?" I ask, looking around for my childhood friend's fiancée.

"She's in the back cooking her &amp; I some dinner, you two want anything?" Daxter replies, a questioning look on his face to the possibilitly of our hunger. I look to Meldalvyna with a question in my expression, to which she shakes her head no.

"Nah, we're not that hungry, besides I need to get Meldalvyna back home," I reply, not feeling very peckish myself, Meldalvyna raising her hood as I speak.

"Oh, alright, see you two love-birds later then!" Daxter says teasingly, a smug grin plastered on his little face as I wrap my arm around Meldalvyna's waist.

"See you later, Dax. Say 'hi' to Tess for us," I reply with a laugh, leading a waving Meldalvyna to the door.

"I will!" Daxter shouts before the door closes &amp; locks behind us, leaving us in the cold, November night air. Helping Meldalvyna up onto the back of my zoomer, I jump on after her &amp; start the engine, taking off into the night a second later. Thirty-five minutes later, Meldalvyna &amp; I stand outside the door of her house, the only light being a small, single candle lit up inside the slowly crumbling building.

"See you tomorrow," Meldalvyna says after giving me a goodbye kiss, "I'll call you when I want you to come over after patrol, unless they're already home by the time you bring me back."

"Alright, see you tomorrow Meldalvyna," I say, giving her a tight hug, which she returned. As I pull away &amp; am about to walk away, Meldalvyna reaches out &amp; catches my shoulder. I turn my head to her, &amp; I notice a loving smile on her face as a small giggle escapes her.

"You know you can call me Mel or something, I AM your girlfriend after all," she says, a smile on her lips &amp; her eyes sparkling in the moon light. I nodd in agreement as I submit it to memory. Turning around after giving her forehead a light peck, I ride off on my jet-board with a smile on her face, thinking of the countless nicknames I could make up for her.

Meldalvyna's POV

As I watched Jak ride away on his, as he called it, jet-board, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of him making up nicknames for me. Walking back inside, the house immediately lights up as I walk through it &amp; up to my room. Slipping out of my armor &amp; into my pajamas, I look at the painting of Jak, his painted, ocean blue eyes staring at me from inside the picture as I set my alarm clock.

"_Should I give this to him, or should I just show it to him, &amp; paint a different picture to give to him_?" I ask myself without speaking, curiosity overtaking my mind. I lye down underneath my covers as the lights in my room automatically darkening, leaving the room pitch black as I fall asleep.

Loud beeping fills the room as I wake up with a start. Hopping up, I get dressed into my Freedom League armor &amp; cloak, &amp; walk down stairs to see that Sparx was nowhere to be seen.

"_He must still be asleep_," I think to myself as I make myself a light breakfast &amp; scarf it down. Coming out of the bathroom after brushing my hair &amp; teeth, I hear Sparx's bedroom door open upstairs. A second later, I see my double step-uncle groggily buzz down the stairs.

"Good morning, Melly," Sparx says with a sleepy smile as he flies over to his stash of food.

"Good morning, Sparx, I've got to go, see you when I get home. By the way, I have a half shift today, but I have to finish it later tonight, &amp; Jak is coming over after Cynder &amp; Spyro get back," I say as I wash my plate &amp; walk to the door.

"Alright, see you when you get home," Sparx says with his mouth full of his own breakfast, giving me a small wave. Returning the wave, I walk out the door &amp; take off into the air towards the Lock. Flying through the crisp, autumn morning air, I dive over the side off the cliff, pulling up just before I hit the ground. Speeding inbetween the many trees, I finally catch sight of the Haven City Forest &amp; Mountain Pass Lock. Landing, I type in the code, not wanting to use up my Elemental energy.

Walking through both sets of doors, I see Jak waiting for me, a smile gracing his handsom lips when he catches sight of me. I walk up to him &amp; greet him with a quick, tight hug.

"Hey Mel, Torn wanted us to start a bit earlier than normal today because of the favor you asked," Jak says after pecking me lightly on the forehead, causing my hood to fall back just enough to let light fall on the end of my short snout. Nodding to him, I climb onto the back of his zoomer before he could help me up himself.

"_I wonder if he'll let me drive his zoomer to the HQ_," I think to myself with an evil, toothy grin on my face. Jak looks up to me, about to jump on himself, &amp; stops dead in his tracks, just barely tipping his head to the side with a curious look spread across his face.

"Hey Jak, can I drive?" I ask him, pushing out my bottom lip just enough for him to notice. Jak's eyes widen in thought, &amp; I could practically see his mind working through his eyes as they flicked between me &amp; the zoomer. Leaning forward so that I'm practically laying down on the machine &amp; lifting my wings open slightly to show my hip, I slowly stretch out my hand until my arm is fully extended, &amp; slowly drift my fingers across the blue-painted metal as I gracefully come back into a sitting position, my head cocked beckoningly to the side, a mischievous smile on my face, completing my 'come hither' move.

"Fine, but don't drive too fast," Jak says warily after a few moments of thought, licking his lips lightly while rubbing the back of his neck. Climbing onto the zoomer behind me, I feel his lean, muscular arms wrap around my waist, his strong chest pressed against my back, resting his chin right between my wings &amp; I have to contain a shiver with all my might. Starting the zoomer, I change zoomer zones to the Freedom League zone &amp; revv the engine only to take off full blast a second later, no other Freedom League cruisers in the zone with Jak &amp; I. As I drive, I feel Jak's taught muscles tense &amp; relax every time we go around a corner. Every once in a while, I hear Jak chuckle lightly when I laugh from the adrenaline rush.

"Well that was fun," I laugh when I come to a stop outside the Freedom League HQ, jumping off after I shut off the zoomer, taking out the keys as I dismount. Turning back around to Jak, I see a dizzy grin on his face as I help him down, giving him a peck on the cheek as his feet touch the ground.

"Yeah, I should let you drive more often," Jak chuckles after returning my kiss, snaking his arm around my shoulder as we walk to the door of the HQ &amp; I hand him the keys. Walking in, we find &amp; punch out time-in &amp; time-out cards, then walk back outside to get back on the zoomer, I not bothering to take down my hood.

As soon as the door opens for us though, two young men around the age of eighteen or nineteen, each carrying a helmet on their hip, stand infront of the door about to type in the entrance code. They look up simultaneously, &amp; I notice they both have brown eyes, but they are different heights. The taller one has brown, almost black hair that comes to a rest just below his chin in length, while the shorter one has short, spiked strawberry-blond hair. I look to Jak &amp; notice a look of recognition flash on the faces of all three men.

"C-Commander Jak!" the brown-haired one stutters out while letting us out of the doorway &amp; into the alley, a surprised look on his face, flinging his hand up to his forehead in salute, the strawberry-blond haired one following suit, a surprised look overtaking his face as well, thier eyes never leaving Jak's in respect.

"_Jak never told me he was a Commander..._" I think to myself, looking at Jak's face in thought.

"At ease. Carl, Luke, I've said before that there is no need to call me that, &amp; I mean it," Jak says after returning their salute, a friendly grin on his face, his face soft. The tall one flicks his eyes to me &amp; looks me over in less than a second before returning to Jak.

"So... did you manage to get a picture of those mystery creatures we saw?" The shorter one asks, a curious smile on his face. Jak's face pales for a second as he flicks his gaze to me, a panicky look in his ocean-blue eyes, the expression mirrored only by the scent of the emotion coming off him. Then it hit me, I am one of those mystery creatures.

"Uh, no... but I... I did... meet them," Jak stammers out nervously, rubbing the back of his neck while looking between me &amp; the two men. Their eyes go wide with surprise &amp; I could smell fear coming off of them.

"Actually, uh... I'd like you to meet Meldalvyna, she's a rather new friend of mine, &amp; a new recruit," Jak says while motioning to me, a thoughtful, hopeful look spread across his face. I can't help but whip my head at him in horror. Nonetheless, I stretch out my hand &amp; shake both of their hands.

"Meldalvyna, this is Carl," Jak says motioning to the shorter of the two, " &amp; this is Luke," motioning to the taller of the two.

"Carl, Luke, this is Meldalvyna, &amp; she is... she is one of the mystery creatures you saw," Jak says, his voice teatering off near the end of his sentence as he revealed what I am underneath my hood &amp; cloak to the other two. Both of their eyes go wide as they look me over again, the scent of horror coming off them in waves worthy of tsunamis.

"Please, do not be afraid, I mean you no harm, it hurts me extremely to see people afraid of me," I say with a pleading tone looking between the two.

"So you're... you're one of them? You don't sound like you'd be one... could you take down you're hood, I want to see you're face, if it's alright with you," the one Jak called Carl says, a nervous, yet curious tone to his voice, obviously trying to sound fearless, the one identified as Luke nodding in agreement.

"Sure, just... don't try to flinch as much when you see my face," I say softly, Jak's arm snaking around my side, trying to console me without it being obvious. Seeing them nodd, I pull down my hood slowly, resisting the urge to take off in a run. Once my face is visible, I see Carl's &amp; Luke's eyes widen in surprise, but oddly, instead of staying that way, they soften once my hood is all the way down.

"You know, &amp; I mean absolutely no offense if it does, ma'am, but you're much less scary than you were when we first caught sight of you fighting those metalheads two weeks ago, you're actually kind'a pretty up close," Luke says after a second, his voice completely sincere, Carl nodding in agreement, a friendly smile on his face.

"Um... thanks, we've gotta go, patrol to do..." I say awkwardly, a small smile on my face as I pull up my hood. They wave goodbye as we walk away to start patrol. Once out of earshot &amp; around a corner, Jak &amp; I laugh, not believing our luck. The remainder of our shortened morning patrol goes in happy, relative silence, a smile on my face, &amp; though I couldn't see his face behind his face-mask, I know Jak is smiling as well.

Three hours later, Jak drops me off at the warp-gate on the mountain-side of the Lock after we clock out of our morning shift. Giving eachother a parting kiss, we part ways for now, &amp; I fly all the way home from there, my mind happy &amp; care-free. Landing outside the door of my house, I notice the lights are on inside &amp; I can smell lunch cooking. I walk up to the door &amp; slowly open it.

"Hello Mel, how was work?" my mother asks as soon as the door is fully open, scaring me. Looking into the room once my eyes adjust, I see my mother, step-father, &amp; double-step uncle sitting around the kitchen table in their respective places.

**Author's note:** Well, there we go, but hey, character development, a problem I realized tied up (cough *carl&amp;luke* cough), &amp; a little bit of a cliff hanger (a bit anti-climactic though). Now, I really need to know the **answers to these question! **1.) **Do I write enough dialogue for Dark &amp; Light.** So please, leave your answers in the reviews, &amp; tigerdj98 out!


	24. Mom & Dad are Back, with a Friend

**Author's note: **Hello to all that still put up with this story! **STILL THOUGH, I FIND NO ONE HAS ANSWERED MY QUESTION YET, WHICH I STILL NEED ANSWERS TO, &amp; I'M NOT EVEN HALF KIDDING!** Besides that, there should, SHOULD, be an awkward moment (or two, maybe even three * ^ w ~ *) between our little couple &amp; the parents, so that will be _oh so fun_ (not) to type!

Anyways, here are the appropriate credits... **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, music I use in these chapters, &amp; the places these characters live in. **Anyhow... ON WITH THE STORY!

Meldalvyna's POV

I can't help but stare at my mother &amp; step-father in surprise, not knowing what to do next. "_They're early, way early... Jak is going to not like hearing their back already..._" I think to myself.

"I said, how was work today?" Cynder asks again, this time more sternly. I snap out of my thoughts &amp; send her an apologetic smile while I sit down at the table. As I sit down, I catch a wiff of a scent something I can't quite place, but I ignore the scent as it dissappears from my senses.

"It's good, I finished training &amp; started patrolling with him to learn the routes..." I reply slowly. Spyro's eyebrow ridges rise at the information while Cynder nodds her head.

"Well that's good, are you usually back home this early?" my step-father asks, a smile on his face as he sets down a plate for me. I catch the peculiar scent again, but it disappears before I can place it.

"Um, no actually, I usually don't get home 'till around sixish, so it's dark by the time I come home," I respond, trying to drag out the conversation for as long as I can so I won't have to call Jak yet.

"So what's the occasion then?" my mother asks me, a purely curious tone to her voice &amp; scent.

"_So Sparx didn't tell them, good_," I think to myself as I flick my gaze to my double step-uncle before answering my mother.

"Well... actually... it has to do with you &amp; st... _dad_ coming home, &amp; with... Jak &amp; I wanting to tell you something as well," I say shakily, my gaze twitching between my mother, step-father, &amp; double step-uncle nervously.

"What is it?" Spyro asks, a look of concern on his normally cheery face, no doubt smelling my nervousness &amp; seeing it spread across my face. Yet again, the smell hits my nostrils, &amp; vanishes before I can identify it, but this time, I realize it is familiar.

"Well, uh, I want Jak here to help me tell you two. I'll... I'll go call him now," I reply, nearly stuttering &amp; get up before either could say anything else &amp; I dial Jak's number into my communicator.

"Hey Jak, my mom &amp; dad are back, can you come over asap?" I ask once I hear Jak pick up, not bothering to wait for him to say hello.

"Their here already? Okay, uh, I'll be over in twenty-five, see you then!" Jak says in a huff, hanging up before I could respond. Putting my communicator back into my pocket, I turn around &amp; sit back down in my seat.

"Jak'll be here in twenty-five minutes," I say with a forced smile on my face, picking up the warm, steaming sandwich infront of me. Taking bite after bite, I try not to make eye contact with any of the people at the table, attempting to avoid any further conversation concerning Jak &amp; I. Finishing off my sandwich with an uncomfortable soundlessness staring at my back, I get up &amp; wash my plate. Putting away my plate, I walk into the bathroom &amp; brush my teeth, &amp; then up to my room to re-braid my hair. While upstairs, the scent gets stronger &amp; doesn't vanish as fast, &amp; I realize it's the scent of someone I know, their name on the tip of my dragon tongue, but I walk back down the stairs anyways.

Fifteen minutes go by in awkward silence after I come back down stairs until I hear a knock on the door. Rushing to the door, I open the entrance to see Jak standing there, a smile coming over his face when he catches sight of me.

Jak's normal blue shirt has been replaced by a collared shirt is one that better belonged on a pilot of the same color, &amp; his chest-ring with the leather straps on him as always. His normal khaki cargo pants stuffed into the tops of his navy blue combat boots. Around his waist is a tan utility belt with few pockets, &amp; underneath his blue shirt, a white crew neck shirt, its sleeve-ends having holes cut into them, through which half of Jak's hand was stuck through, the collar of the shirt bunched up slightly around his neck, suggesting the shirt was a bit big for him.

"Hello Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea, Spyro, Sparx," Jak greets with a light smile on his face, a slightly nervous scent to him as I usher him into the building.

"Hello Jak, how have you been? Have you been over since we were gone?" my step-father asks, a cheery smile on his face as he stands up from his seat at the table, my mother &amp; double step-uncle all following suit, directing us into the living room.

"Um... good, I guess, &amp; yes, actually, I have been over..." Jak replies with a nervous smile while rubbing the back of his neck. Sitting down, Jak looks over my parents &amp; only other relative, resting his sweep on my mother, the smile still on his face. Seeing her unamused glare, I swear I see Jak shiver &amp; tense &amp; his face pale as I sit down next to him.

"Now, what was it that you wanted to tell us, together nonetheless?" Cynder asks, the scrutinizing glare never falling from her face. Looking at me while leaning forward so that his elbows rest on his knees, Jak wordlessly offers his hand for me to hold with a gentle smile on his face. Following suit, I copy Jak's posture &amp; wrap my hand around his, returning his smile.

"Well," I begin, looking over to Jak quickly for reassurance, "Jak &amp; I started dating four days ago." Both Cynder's &amp; Spyro's eyes widen in surprise, while Sparx's expression remains knowingly unchanged. My step-father's expression of surprise quickly turns into a huge, toothy, completely sincere smile, while my mother's expression falls into a kind of strange bored, yet knowing look.

"You know, that's the day the Chronicler told us why he wanted to speak with us, &amp; he told us you two had a destiny together! Ignitus knew you two got together when we got there &amp; he didn't even tell us, just like him," Spyro says happily, his large smile tapering off into a reminiscent grin as he thinks of his old mentor.

"Yes... so, how did you two decide to 'get together,' exactly?" Cynder asks, the unamused, bordering on scornful glare remaining on her face.

"Well... mother... you see, we both had started getting uuummm- _feelings_\- for each other, but didn't really know we had them towards each other until... well.. do you remember how I said Jak had a Dark Eco &amp; Light Eco powers?" I ask shakily, trying to lead my mother into the reveal as gently as possible. Seeing my mother nodd, I can't help but squeeze Jak's hand, to which he squeezes back.

"I'll tell them what happened if you want," Jak suggests softly, no doubt seeing my nervousness.

"No, it's alright, besides, you weren't there for the main part," I say with a nervous, joking laugh, trying to lift the tension before I continue with the explanation.

"Well, um.. I invited Jak over because Sparx was out collecting more food for himself &amp; I knew I'd be bored &amp; would want someone to talk to, &amp; while I was getting him a cup of water, he went to sit on my couch. Well, apparently my scent had set off his Dark Eco alter that he got from the fact he had those powers, &amp; um... Jak turned into Dark, then told me how Jak felt, &amp;... yeah..." I draw out, not really wanting to explain what had happened between Dark &amp; me.

"You're not telling us something, Meldalvyna. Spit it out," my mother says, giving me her famous 'or else' look. Looking down in embarassment, I continue shakily, a blush rushing to my scaled cheeks.

"Well... uh... Dark started licking me, &amp;-"

"Licking you?" Cynder interrupts, a disbelieving, weirded-out look on her face while my step-father gains the same expression, Sparx bursting into laughter in his seat.

"You two never told me Dark licked you!" Sparx laughs, almost falling backwards in his tiny bench.

"You knew about this?!" my mother asks, whipping her head at him, still in complete, utter shock.

"Ye-hahaha... yes... apparently after turning back into Jak, who was worried about his dark side hurting Meldalvyna, Meldalvyna kissed Jak, &amp; I caught the two making out when I came home!" Sparx giggles, trying to contain his laughter once he sits back up, making my already huge blush even worse.

"Is that true, Meldalvyna?" Spyro asks, a curious look spread across his face.

"Yes, it is," I answer truthfully, looking over to Jak, who also had a heavy blush on his face, rubbing the back of his neck with his opposite hand. Looking back up, I notice Spyro &amp; Cynder looking at each other, whispering something I couldn't pick up on between them &amp; flicking their gazes between Jak, me, &amp; each other.

"What are they saying?" Jak asks me, leaning his head close to my own. I shrug in response, not able to hear anything more than mumbles from my parents. After a few moments, my mother seems to come to some sort of agreement with my step-father, Spyro appearing to be the winner of some arguement.

"You two wished to talk to us together in order to ask for our acceptance?" my step-father asks when they turn back to us.

"Yes, that is exactly why," Jak replies before I could answer myself, a smile on his face.

"Well then, we accept your relationship, but I will warn you," Spyro begins, his voice becoming very serious, " even though I am usually very kind to all, that if you hurt my daughter, I WILL find you, &amp; I WILL make you regret that decision if it should come to existence. Do you understand?"

"Yessir. If it comforts you, I never plan on doing something that cruel to your step-daughter, I promise you that," Jak replies, his tone just as serious, tipping his head downward in a half-nod. To Jak's answer, my step-father immediately perks up, a friendly smile spreading itself across his purple face.

"That is good to hear, have you eaten lunch yet Jak?" Spyro asks cheerily, the smile never leaving his face.

"Uh, dad, we can't stay. Chief of Arms Torn told us to start parol back up as soon as we were finished telling you about our relationship," I say before Jak can answer, not wanting Jak to learn we actually eat metalhead.

"Oh, okay then. Maybe some other time then," the purple dragon says, his happy expression falling slightly.

"Sure. Oh, actually it could be tomorrow. Meldalvyna met up with one of my friends, who happens to be Baroness Ashelin Praxis, &amp; the Baroness was planning to meet with you &amp; Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea tomorrow to discuss possible alliances between our two... uh... worlds, if that is alright?" Jak asks, remembering the last conversation I had with the Baroness. A surprised look overcomes my mother's, step-father's, &amp; double step-uncle's faces.

"Oh... um... I would say yes, but we would need other officials of the Dragon Kingdom before we could start official business, &amp; its a week's travel just to recieve &amp; bring those officials to Haven City," Spyro replies, a thoughtful expression on his face, Cynder nodding in agreement.

"Alright, I'll let Baroness Ashelin know while Meldalvyna &amp; I walk back to the city to continue our parol," Jak says with a smile on his face.

"Okay then, see you when we can settle on a date to meet, &amp; Meldalvyna, be back home soon after you finish patrol today," the purple dragon king says, a light smile on his face. Nodding back, Jak &amp; I stand up from our seats &amp; head to the door.

"Meldalvyna, one more thing," my mother says as soon as I open the door.

"Yes, mom?" I ask, closing the door. Suddenly, the familiar scent I had been smelling earlier comes back, &amp; this time I realize the scent belongs to a guy I know, but haven't seen in a long time, though the name is still lost to me.

"Ah... never mind, go on, see you when you get home," Cynder says, dismissing whatever thought she had before.

"Okay, see you later everyone," I say over my shoulder as I close the door, Jak waving to them goodbye.

Jak's POV

"Yes... so, how did you two decide to 'get together,' exactly?" Cynder asks, an unamused, almost scornful glare on her face, which I swear is directed at me.

"Well... mother... you see, we both had started getting uuummm- _feelings_\- for each other, but didn't really know we had them towards each other until... well.. do you remember how I said Jak had a Dark Eco &amp; Light Eco powers?" Meldalvyna asks shakily, doubt nervous. Meldalvyna looks up at her mother, she sees her nodd with a scrutinizing look, &amp; squeezes my hand for reassurance, to which I squeeze back.

"I'll tell them what happened if you want," I suggest trying to be more supportive for her, seeing Meldalvyna so tense &amp; scared to answer her own mother making me upset. Meldalvyna looks to me &amp; smiles lightly.

"No, it's alright, besides, you weren't there for the main part," Meldalvyna replies wirh a nervous laugh, trying to make a joke. As she turns her attention back to Cynder &amp; Spyro, I notice both of them have an eyebrow quirked, but the expression immediately disappears when Meldalvyna faces them.

"Well, um.. I invited Jak over because Sparx was out collecting more food for himself &amp; I knew I'd be bored &amp; would want someone to talk to, &amp; while I was getting him a cup of water, he went to sit on my couch. Well, apparently my scent had set off his Dark Eco alter that he got from the fact he had those powers, &amp; um... Jak turned into Dark, then told me how Jak felt, &amp;... yeah..." Meldalvyna draws out, obviously not wanting to explain what happened next. I feel a blush starting to crawl to my cheeks as the vague memory of what happened comes to mind.

"You're not telling us something, Meldalvyna. Spit it out," Meldalvyna's mother demands with a look that could be considered threatening. At this, Meldalvyna looks down between her legs &amp; I see a blush forming on her black scales, turning her cheeks a dark, beautiful shade of purple.

"Well... uh... Dark started licking me, &amp;-"

"Licking you?" Cynder interrupts, a disbelieving, weirded-out look on her face while her step-father gains an expression similar to his wife's, Sparx bursting bursting into laughter from his tiny, cushioned bench.

"You two never told me Dark licked you!" Sparx laughs, nearly falling backwards in his seat.

"You knew about this?!" Meldalvyna'e mother asks, still in utter shock at what she's just been told.

"**You know, the faces Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea makes are funny when she's surprised**," Dark chuckles, almost making me laugh myself, having to force down an amused grin.

"Ye-hahaha... yes... apparently after turning back into Jak, who was worried about his dark side hurting Meldalvyna, then Meldalvyna kissed Jak, &amp; I caught the two making out when I came home!" Meldalvyna's double-step uncle replies giggling as he sits back up, trying to contain his laughter. As soon as the words exit his mouth, I feel a pang of embarassment &amp; feel a blush beginning to take over my cheeks.

"Is that true, Meldalvyna?" Spyro asks, a curious look spread across his face. Feeling the blush get worse, I drop my gaze to the floor, &amp; begin to rub the back of my neck with the hand that isn't holding Meldalvyna's.

"Yes, it is," Meldalvyna answers, an tone of truth to her voice. I feel her gaze on me for a second before it goes away. After a long second of awkward silence, I hear Spyro &amp; Cynder begin to whisper at each other &amp; peek up at the large dragons. As they whispered, their gaze shifts between Meldalvyna, me, &amp; each other.

"What are they saying?" I ask my girlfriend, unable to decipher her parents' barely audible mumbles, to which she shrugs, unable to hear them herself. After a few moments of their quiet conversation, the Queen of Warfang seemingly comes to some sort of agreement with her husband, Meldalvyna's step-father appearing to be the victor of some arguement.

"You two wished to talk to us together in order to ask for our acceptance?" Spyro asks once their attention turns back to us.

"_You haven't really supported Meldalvyna all that much through this like you're supposed to_," Light says, a bored, suggesting tone to his stern-toned voice.

"Yes, that is exactly why," I reply to the King of Warfang before Meldalvyna can even get out a word, a light smile on my face to try to sway things Meldalvyna's &amp; I's way.

"Well then, we accept your relationship, but I will warn you," Spyro begins, his voice becoming very serious, " even though I am usually very kind to all, that if you hurt my daughter, I WILL find you, &amp; I WILL make you regret that decision if it should come to existence. Do you understand?"

"Yessir. If it comforts you, I never plan on doing something that cruel to your step-daughter, I promise you that," I reply with a tone just as serious, tiping my head downward in a half-nod, the thought of ever hurting Meldalvyna hurting my own heart. Suddenly, a large smile spreads across his lavendar-colored face, almost throwing me off guard.

"That is good to hear, have you eaten lunch yet Jak?" Spyro asks cheerily, the smile never leaving his face. Not having lunch yet, I think that it might be a good idea to have lunch with Meldalvyna's family for a sign of respect.

"Uh, dad, we can't stay. Chief of Arms Torn told us to start parol back up as soon as we were finished telling you about our relationship," Meldalvyna interjects before I could even answer, an almost concerned tone to her voice &amp; a worried expression to her face. The expression throughs me off for a second, &amp; I see Meldalvyna's step-father's expression fall a bit.

"Oh, okay then. Maybe some other time then," the purple dragon says, the happy tone to his voice faltering a little. The upset expression his face makes me feel guilty, &amp; I can barely stand it, feeling how nice he wanted be.

"Sure. Oh, actually it could be tomorrow. Meldalvyna met up with one of my friends, who happens to be Baroness Ashelin Praxis, &amp; the Baroness was planning to meet with you &amp; Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea tomorrow to discuss possible alliances between our two... uh... worlds, if that is alright?" I ask, remembering the last time Meldalvyna &amp; I saw Ashelin. A surprised look overcomes Spyro's, Cynder's, &amp; Sparx's faces, more than likely not knowing that I'm friends with the Baroness.

"Oh... um... I would say yes, but we would need other officials of the Dragon Kingdom before we could start official business, &amp; its a week's travel just to recieve &amp; bring those officials to Haven City," Spyro replies, a thoughtful expression on his face, Cynder nodding in agreement.

"Alright, I'll let Baroness Ashelin know while Meldalvyna &amp; I walk back to the city to continue our parol," I say with a smile, happy I could clear that problem up before I forget about it.

"Okay then, see you when we can settle on a date to meet, &amp; Meldalvyna, be back home soon after you finish patrol today," the purple dragon king says, a light smile on his face. Nodding back, Meldalvyna &amp; I stand from our seats &amp; head for the door.

"Meldalvyna, one more thing," Meldalvyna's mother says as Meldalvyna opens the door.

"Yes, mom?" Meldalvyna asks while closing the door, turning around. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice one of Meldalvyna's nostrils twitch like she was smelling the air for something, an thoughtful look on her face.

"Ah... never mind, go on, see you when you get home," Cynder says, dismissing whatever thought she had before.

"Okay, see you later everyone," Meldalvyna says over her should while she pulls me outside as she closes the door. I wave goodbye to the building's inhabitants just before she closes the door, a smile on my face.

"So, what's up with the get-up?" Meldalvyna asks once we're a ways away from the door while I hook an arm around her side, a curious smile on her face.

"What do you mean? I thought I'd wear something a bit nicer for your parents today," I say with a sly smile, planning to tell her something she didn't know I did.

"Oh. But what about patrol, don't you have to wear the armor suit for safety?" Meldalvyna asks, looking at me with a curious gleam to her green eyes.

"Actually, after I dropped you off last night, I went back to the HQ &amp; talked to Torn a little, &amp; want to know what I convinced him to let us do?" I ask her, a devious grin on my face &amp; a playful tone to my voice.

"Yes.." Meldalvyna replies, a small smile appearing on her face &amp; an excited, curious shimmer in her eyes.

"I'll tell you as soon as I'm done telling Ashelin about the rearrangements," I say with a teasing tone, to which Meldalvyna sticks out her bottom lip. While taking out my communicator, I quickly lean forward &amp; steal a kiss on Meldalvyna's bottom lip, taking her by surprise. With a smile from Meldalvyna, I call Baroness Praxis &amp; tell her the news, then hang up.

"So, what did you convince Torn to do?" Meldalvyna asks as I put my communicator into my pocket, an almost impatient tinge to her voice.

"I convinced him to let us have the day off, with full pay," I tell her, a smile on my face when I see her response. A huge smile spreads across her face &amp; she rushes me &amp; wraps me into a tight hug, her wings drooped low, &amp; her tail wrapped tightly around both my legs.

"Jak, you're the best," Meldalvyna says pulling away so that her face was only a few centimeters away from mine.

"No, _you are__,_ my lovely," I correct, giving her a kiss on the lips. As I kiss her, I feel her smile a little &amp; her arms &amp; tail tighten around me.

"My lovely? Is that one of the pet names you came up with for me?" Meldalvyna asks when after pulling away, her eyes half-lidded in bliss, a curious smile on his soft lips.

"Of course it is," I answer, a smile on my own face.

"So, what are the others?" Meldalvyna asks, a loving grin on her face.

"You're just going to have to wait &amp; see," I reply with a devious smile on my face &amp; a teasing tone. Meldalvyna playfully pushes me away with a laugh, a huge grin on her beautiful face. The rest of the walk goes in happy silence, my arm wrapped around her waist, until we reach the lock, that is.

"Wait, I don't have any spare clothes anywhere besides at home, _grrreeaaat_," Meldalvyna groans, remembering that she is still in her Freedom League armor. Stopping inbetween the Lock's doors, I look her over, deep in thought of what to do.

"**We could go to the place where the first time we needed clothes while Baron Praxis was still around that helped us, even though they knew about me. They even custom made the clothes... now, where was it?**" Dark ponders, Light not being able to help very much since he wasn't around then.

"Well, it was somewhere in the bazaar. I'd know it if I saw it, let's try there, if it's still standing, that is," I answer telepathically, trying to come up with the location of the clothes stand as well.

"Actually, I think I know a place where we could go to fix that, I'd just have look around the bazaar a little, because I don't remember exactly where it is," I say to Meldalvyna as she hastily pulls up her hood, leading her through the remaining set of doors in the Lock &amp; into the city.

"Really? Do you think the person that owns the place won't be afraid of me?" Meldalvyna asks me, a sceptic tone to her voice.

"Well, they gave me clothes while Baron Praxis was still around, which during that time I only had Dark, who was much harder to control back then, &amp; he wasn't very forgiving when he fought, either. Everyone else wouldn't help me, but rather call me 'monster' or 'the Dark One', or just walk away as fast as possible, &amp; the owners knew about Dark, but still helped me anyways," I answer, looking at Meldalvyna, a gentle smile on my face as I helped her onto my zoomer, which had been waiting outside the Lock while we talked to Spyro &amp; Cynder.

"Oh, what do you mean by not very forgiving?" Meldalvyna asks, a sad, curious tone to her voice.

"I- I don't want to talk about that... but anyways, let's go find that shop if it's still up, I doubt they wouldn't help you," I say, trying to avoid the question as I get onto my custom-made, cobalt-blue zoomer.

"Okay, let's go then," Meldalvyna says, a sad tone to her voice as she wraps her arms around my waist. Starting the zoomer, I take off, the ride in silence besides the sound of rushing wind.

"_You should have at least said something about it, it would strengthen our relationship with her_," Light says when I park just outside the bazaar, turning off my zoomer.

"I know, I just didn't want her to be afraid of Dark, she hasn't seen us mad yet," I respond to him as I hop down from the machine.

"**Even if she saw us mad, I promise I wouldn't hurt her**," Dark says, trying to defend himself as I help Meldalvyna down from the back of my vehicle.

"You know that's not what I meant, Dark. Back then, you didn't care how many innocent people got in the way while you fought, you still cut through them," I retort angrily, making my point.

"**You know I'm not like that anymore**," Dark defends, his tone angry, but I swear I could hear a bit of hurt in it too.

"Meldalvyna, you ready to go?" I ask after giving her after giving her forehead a light kiss, ignoring Dark's plead of innocence. To my luck, both Dark &amp; Light remain quiet.

"Yeah, lead the way, Jak," Meldalvyna responds as I wrap an arm around her shoulder. Not very long later, I finally find the shop I'm looking for.

Walking into to the small store, I see a man at the counter in his mid-thirties, wiping the surface with a white rag. The man's hair was a dark brown, with a few light strips of grey in his hair. The man looks up &amp; at me, his face twisting into recognition once he sees me, then into one of curiosity as he looks at Meldalvyna.

"Well hello there, it's been a while since I've last seen you, eh... sorry for callin' you this, but I can't remember your name... Dark One, &amp; who might this be?" the man asks with a friendly smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Meldalvyna's posture turn rigid when the man called me Dark one.

"Oh, it's alright, I've gotten used to it, the name's Jak. This is my friend Meldalvyna, we were hoping you could help her out in the clothes catagory," I answer quickly, a smile on my face. Quickly glancing to the side, I see Meldalvyna's posture relax, to my relief.

"Why hello there, Meldalvyna, what is it I could help you with?" the man asks cheerily as he comes out from behind the counter &amp; shakes Meldalvyna's hand.

"Well, you see, I'm not exactly... normal," Meldalvyna replies, her voice getting quieter near the end of her sentence in self-consciousness.

"Well, neither exictly is your friend here, but I'm guessing you mean in a different way. Why don't you take down your hood so I can get a good look at ya'?" the owner of the shop asks politely, a blissfully unaware smile on his face as to what he was about to see underneath Meldalvyna's hood.

"Oh-okay, but please, don't scream, or be afraid, I promise I won't hurt you," Meldalvyna replies, grabbing at her hood. The man gives a confused look at the both of us as Meldalvyna slowly pulls down her hood. The shop owner's face contorts into one of horror as her hood falls, then turns to an expression of disturbed caution.

"Uh... you were right about not being normal... um... what other monstr... I mean, uh, 'abnormalities,' do you have?" he asks with a tone of shock once his innitial surprise wanes. As he spoke, I can't help but feel offended by his remarks about Meldalvyna, she is beautiful as she is.

"Jak, will you help me with my cloak?" Meldalvyna asks shyly as she turns to me, a hopeful gleam in her eye. With a nodd, I walk over &amp; grab the cloth that goes over her wings as she unbuttons the front of her cloak. Lifting up, I help her wings out of the cloak's casing as she pulls her arms out of the cloak's sleeves. Taking the cloak off her hands, I fold it neatly as we turn back to the shop owner with finality, Meldalvyna wiggling her wings &amp; tail around a little.

"Uh, okay... before I take your measurements, though, may I ask, what exactly are you?" the man asks, a look of curiosity on his slightly wrinkled face, gone was the look of horror from before, to my pleasure. Meldalvyna's face pulls into one of surprised caution.

"I-I'm a hybrid between a creature known as a dragon, &amp; a human. My father was human, &amp; my mother is a dragoness," Meldalvyna replies, a tone of worry to her voice. The man gains an expression that clearly said 'oh' as the information sunk in, the smile returning to his face.

"You know, when I was little, I remember my mother telling me stories about dragons &amp; how we once lived on the same world before the time of the precursors, but one day, for the safety of man-kind, a very powerful dragon gathered all the other dragons on one half of the planet &amp; split the earth in half, but left a link that both dragons &amp; humans could use to travel back &amp; forth between the two half worlds. I guess with you here, those weren't just stories, but actual events" the man says while walking around Meldalvyna, looking at her where her wings &amp; tail began &amp; taking her measurements.

"Actually, that is exactly what happened, Meldalvyna told me one of the first days we knew each other," I say, remembering being told the same story by Meldalvyna. The man looks between us, a surprised look on his face.

"Well, then, I never would have thought those stories to be true. Anyways miss, all that is left is for you to decide how you want your outfit, &amp; uh... Jak, you can come along too to the back if you like to look at the color selection," the man suggests, motioning to the back.

Fifteen minutes later, Meldalvyna's entire outfit is figured out &amp; the shop owner tells us to come back in a day or two to get the finished product since Meldalvyna was a special case, or else he would've had it done in two hours. Meldalynva had picked out the 'sexier' style of womens' clothes, choosing to have a dark leaf green, form-fitting belly shirt with white stripes down the sides to contrast with her black &amp; red underbelly, so it would look like her stomach was part of the shirt's design. She also chose a dark, cobalt blue jean jacket that came with an optionally detatchable cloak &amp; hood that slides over her wings with matching form-fitting pants that had silver belts &amp; zippers that would match her silver combat boots she already had back at her home.

Spending the rest of the day walking around the city &amp; stopping at the Naughty Ottsel to cool warm up, as it was cold out, we stay next to each other, either holding hands or one of my arms around Meldalvyna's shoulder. Joking &amp; laughing the nearly the entire time. Nightfall came extremelly quickly, &amp; I had to bring her home.

Walking up to the outside of her house, I caught sight of the ever-visible Sparx buzzing towards the front door of the house, his little yellow form emitting an ever brighter yellow glow. More than likely hearing our approaching footsteps, Sparx looks up at us &amp; smiles.

"Hey Mel, is see you brought Jak, are you planning on something having to do with him &amp; a bed or something along those lines?" Spax says bluntly, a teasing smile on his insect face. If I was a normal person, I wouldn't have noticed the huge blush that currently spread itself across Meldalvyna's face while one blossomed on my own, thankfully, I have Dark Eco powers.

"NO! Jak was just walking me home is all," Meldalvyna retorts, the blush never leaving her face &amp; a high-pitched, embarassed tone to her voice. Sparx simply laughs while I continue to walk my girlfriend to the door of her home, the now more recognizable scent of her other family members filling my senses, as well as one mystery one, but it definately smelt feline, a big one at that.

"Anyways, someone is waiting for you inside Meldalvyna, &amp; he wants to meet you too, Jak. Cynder &amp; Spyro have told him as much as they know about you, so it's probably a good thing you're here," Sparx says fluttering off, a mysterious tone to his voice that left me worried &amp; confused. Meldalvyna's eyes widen a little as she quickens her pace to the door, dragging me along. Once at the door, Meldalvyna immediately throws the slab of wood to the side &amp; drags me through the entrance, where I get yet another feeling of what it's like being Daxter's height, where everything you once thought was small is now your height &amp; larger.

In the room standing near Meldalvyna's family's kitchen table is a huge, bipedal cat wearing a red-tinted, hooded cloak &amp; tunic, a huge, wooden recurve bow strung over it's shoulder with a quiver full of equally large arrows, red cloth guantlets with matching sock-like wrappings around its feet &amp; ankles, little tufts of white fur sticking off its ankles. The thing is, for one, as tall as Sig, but leaner &amp; faster looking, &amp; has yellow &amp; white fur, with black ringlets like a muse speckled over it's yellow fur, &amp; a long tail. The thing turns its head towards us, &amp; I can finally see the details of its face. The feline's ears are black, &amp; had white tufts of fur inside them, as well as white tufts at the back of it's jaw bone like, not unlike Daxter does. The white fur on it's face starts on the lower jaw &amp; continues down it's neck underneath it's tunic, &amp; has black stripes on it's head, as well as over it's eyes that follows the ridge of it's snout &amp; ends under the ridge of it's eyebrow, its eyes a dark, forest green, &amp; its pupils round instead of slits.

"Hunter!" Meldalvyna yells excitedly once she sees him, rushing him &amp; wraps him up in a hug, leaving me at the door in shock, "Hunter, this is Jak, Jak, this is an old family friend, Hunter!"

**Author's note:** Well, here we go, yet another little cliff-hanger to keep you readers interested! While I wrote this chapter, I had a great idea of how to get you readers involved with the story. Yes, that's right, **I FOUND A WAY TO GET YOU GUYS INVOLVED WITH THE STORY, &amp; ITS REALLY SIMPLE!** IF YOU READERS WOULD LIKE, WITH MY PERMISSION, I'LL LET YOU DRAW MY OC MELDALVYNA &amp; OTHER OCs AS THEY APPEAR IN THE STORY (And no, I'm not good enough to draw her how I would like myself, that's why I'm asking)! **I'd love to see your renditions of my character, so if you have a deviantart &amp; would like to draw Meldalvyna, please, ask in the reviews, &amp; if I say yes to you next chapter, go ahead &amp; do it, as long as you leave a link for it in the end in a review! **Anyhow, here's tigerdj98, signing off until next time!


	25. Greeting Hunter & Cynder's Conversation

**Author's note: **Hello everybody! First of all, I would like to thank IDRF for favoriting this here story.

Now, for the appropriate credits... **Stuff I own: Plot &amp; OCs; Stuff I DON'T own: Any characters that aren't OCs, music I use in these chapters, &amp; the places these characters live in.** Also, in this chapter I mention another OC, but he doesn't really come in until much.. MUCH later. Anywho... ON WITH THE STORY! Also MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS FOR JAK X COMBAT RACING &amp; JAK AND DAXTER THE LOST FRONTIER IN JAK'S POV!

Meldalvyna's POV

"Anyways, someone is waiting for you inside Meldalvyna, &amp; he wants to meet you too, Jak. Cynder &amp; Spyro have told him as much as they know about you, so it's probably a good thing you're here," Sparx hints, a smile on his face &amp; an edge of mystery to his voice as he flies off.

"_Wait, that scent from earlier... could it be..._," My thoughts tick off, thoughts of who this mystery person is going through my head. I know it is male, &amp; someone I know, but definitely not a dragon, so that excludes my buddy Cole. As the list of people who can fit this list shortens in my mind, I rush up to the door &amp; fling in open, pulling Jak along by the hand. Rushing down the stairs &amp; down to the landing in the room, I see Cheif Hunter standing next to our kitchen table looking around our kitchen until we burst through the door, his feline head turning in our direction, smiling when he catches sight of me standing in the door.

"Hunter!" I yell out excitedly while rushing the bipedal cheetah-man, letting go of Jak's hand, wrapping him up in a tight, friendly hug.

"Hunter, this is Jak, Jak, this is an old family friend, Hunter!" I exclaim, turning to Jak with excitement while I unwrap myself, only to see Jak still standing near the door, a look of fading shock on his face.

"Oh... uh... hello Hunter," Jak says after a small, almost unnoticable shake of his head, a slightly disbelieving tone to his voice, walking up &amp; holding his hand out for a greeting.

"Hello Jak, I've heard quite a lot about you from Cynder &amp; Spyro," Hunter greets back with a smile on his face &amp; a friendly tone, shaking Jak's hand while he speaks.

"So I've heard from Sparx before I came in," Jak returns, his cautious smile &amp; scent turning into a trustworthy one. Walking away from Hunter, I return to Jak's side, wrapping one of his hands around my own.

"Yes, especially Cynder, she is quite fond of you," Hunter says next, a truthful, happy smile on his face, "which is quite an accomplishment for someone she doesn't know very well, also considering you are dating Meldalvyna."

"_Wait, mom likes Jak, I had no idea... wait, she could have been just telling Hunter that..._" I think to myself, Hunter's revelation surprising me, but also making me scrutinize what he said. Looking to the side, I notice Jak's face pulling into one of surprise as well, his scent matching his expression.

"Cynder doesn't mind me, or the fact I'm dating her daughter? She's never made it seem like she liked me, or me being with Mel," Jak chuckles bitterly, a smirk tugging up one side of his lips into a grim smile, crossing his arms over his chest while he speaks, his eyes scrutinizing the information he heard.

"She's always been hard to tell what she's actually feeling, she hides it so well, even Spyro has trouble telling sometimes, &amp; he's her husband," Sparx says suddenly from behind us, causing everyone's attention to whip towards them in surprise, no one having noticed him come through the door. Jak grunts in response, his bitter smirk unmoving. I nodd in agreement with Sparx, knowing that to be be true about my mother, looking at Jak, trying to convince him of this one fact.

"I have known both Cynder &amp; Spyro since they were younger than Meldalvyna in age, &amp; I can tell when they are with-holding something from me just by hearing their voice. I promise you that what I tell you is not a lie, Jak," Hunter says, dipping his chin down in a serious expression, his green eyes slits of seriousness. Jak nodds his head in understanding, the angry smirk on his face falling, though the bitterness of his emotion still permeates him.

"I see I am being spoken about, rather harshly, as it would seem," my mother's voice sounds from the hallway, &amp; I notice Jak blanch when he catches sight of my mother standing just inside the living room, an unamused, almost hurt expression on her face, eyes shimmering in the emotion.

"Eh-heh, how much of that did you hear, Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea?" Jak asks shakily, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Most of it, I do believe. What Hunter says is true, I _am_ quite fond of you, Jak, &amp; it pains me to know you have doubts, though I do understand where you get it, &amp; I wish to make ammends to those doubts. So, Jak, if you would please have a walk with me, alone?" Cynder asks, her tone full of truth, &amp; her eyes displaying a tad of hurt as she speaks, though it sounded more like a command than a request.

"Um... sure," Jak responds, his gaze flicking to me before he leaves with my mother, the scent of his nervousness overtaking his normal scent. Staring at the door a few moments after Jak leaves in worry, I run up to my room &amp; look out the window, to see that Cynder speaking to Jak while they walked the path leading to the small looking pond Spyro &amp; I had built behind our house when I was little, Jak looking intently up at her at steady &amp; down at the ground intervals, trying to avoid going off the path or tripping over the few roots that stuck up from the ground.

Watching until they turned a corner to where I can no longer see them, I turn back to my room &amp; start walking to the door. Opening the door, I stop mid-swing to look into my room, feeling as if I was forgetting something.

"_What am I forgetting? I feel like I need something in here_," I think to myself, looking around my room for a clue. After searching around the room for a few seconds, my eyes land on my painting eisel, which still held the painting of Jak, &amp; the answer to my question flashes into my mind.

"_Oh yeah, I was going to show this to Jak! I wonder how he's going to react_," I think to myself, a happily curious smile on my face, "_actually, I wonder how good he is, he said he drew me, too_." Continuing from my room &amp; trotting down the stairs, I see Hunter sitting on a new pile of pillows made up of a mixture of a few pillows from each of my parents' pile of pillows, reclined &amp; obviously drifting to sleep.

Silently, I tip-toe over to my couch &amp; sit down to recline a little myself. Slowly, I feel myself begin to fall asleep, just barely keeping myself awake, my eyes drifting closed &amp; snapping open repeatedly as the time goes on. On my last strands of conciousness from five minutes of sitting motionless, Jak &amp; my mother step through the front door, scaring Hunter &amp; me into full awareness, only for Hunter to fall back to sleep. Looking to the two, I see friendly smiles on both of their faces. Jak, looking to me, walks over &amp; plops down next to me, the smile never leaving his face. Looking behind him, I notice Cynder walking down the hallway toward her &amp; my step-father's room.

"So, what did you two talk about that's made you so smiley?" I ask Jak after shrugging off a yawn. Leaning back, he drapes his arms over the back of the loveseat, scooting over to be closer to me.

"Turns out your mother &amp; I have a few things in common, &amp; it also turns out she's got a strange sense of humor that I kinda like. That &amp; your step-dad invited me over for a fire-roasted dinner," Jak replies, dropping the arm draped on the couch behind me down onto my shoulder, pulling me to his chest. I can't help but to get a slight feel of panic when he mentioned dinner, fearing that the main-course would be some form of metalhead meat, but ignoring the urge to ask if Spyro told him _what_ he was cooking.

"What do you two have in common, then?" I ask instead with a pushed smile, forcing myself to go against what I wanted to ask while snuggling up against him, though I remain tense.

"Well, we both were made into 'monsters' by someone corrupt, we were both saved from becoming worse than that by someone we still trust, we've both done things we aren't proud of &amp; rather not have anyone know about those things, &amp; we both have tough times trusting someone we feel that they weren't exactly 'good people' sometime in their past," Jak answers after a moment of thought, the smile only darkening for the tiniest portion of a second. Nodding, I can't help but wonder what things Jak could have done to be considered a 'bad' person in his past. Again, the question as to if my step-father told Jak what he was cooking makes another push to be asked.

"So, uh, did Spyro tell you what he'd be cooking for dinner?" I ask, giving into the pressure of my own conscience, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Yeah, he said he had a feeling I was going to show up, &amp; decided to make some yakkow steaks in case I came over," Jak answers, not catching the anxiety in my voice, a light smile still on his face. Letting out a sigh of relief, I completely relax into Jak's side, the concern leaving me with the sigh, my head resting agianst the side of Jak's.

"Hzssst... what _was_ that?" Jak asks, hissing in pain &amp; ripping his arm down &amp; away from the back of my neck while grabbing at his bicep as I jump forward from his sudden movements. Shoving the hair away from the back of my neck after a second with the hand of his injured arm, Jak goes to look for what ever had hurt him.

"What happened?" I ask, worried about just how baddly Jak could be hurt.

"You just unintentionally stabbed me in the arm with the spikes on your neck, that's what," Jak replies with a slight grunt of pain. Looking behind me, I see one, two, three bloody holes in Jak's arm as he pulls his hand away from the injuries, each in the shape of my neck-spines, the blood soaking into his shirt as it dribbles out of his wounds &amp; I can't help but gasp.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" I blurt out, seeing the pain in Jak's face while grabbing at the spines, feeling them slick with his blood &amp; pull them away from my neck to see the tips of my fingers coated in blood. Looking to his face, I see a pained smile creep across his lips as he nodds his head towards his arm, trying get me to look down at his arm.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," Jak says, again motioning towards his injured arm with his chin. Pulling my gaze away from his face, I look back to the wound, only watch in amazement as the holes close up before me, the only evidence of an injury ever being there being the blood on his shirt &amp; on the spines protruding off of the back of my neck.

"Before I got Light, Dark would always heal my wounds, but they'd leave a light scratch-like scar where the serious ones were. Now since I have both, I'm pretty hard to hurt &amp; keep injured. Now, I've just have to be a bit more careful where I put any of my limbs," Jak says with a smile when I look up to his face while reaching his hand that belongs to the previously injured arm behind my neck. Slowly, he wipes each spine off with a seperate finger. Pulling his hand out from behind my neck, he looks between his pant leg &amp; his bloody fingers, the look of thought spread across his face. Visibly coming to a decision, he licks the blood off his fingers, grinning devishly when he notices my wierded-out expression.

"You're weird, you know that?" I ask teasingly as he repeats the action with the bloody mess on his arm &amp; his opposite hand, dropping his hands to his pant leg to wipe off his spit after cleaning his arm to his satisfactory, leaving only a blood-stained shirt, then grabs my bloodied hand &amp; sucks the red, viscous fluid off my fingertips, an evil smile on his lips &amp; looking into my eyes.

"Says the person who doesn't have an angry, psychotic, blood thirsty alter whose always argueing with an alter that's all about peace &amp; harmony in their head," Jak replies with a smirk once finished with my fingertips, a scent of deviousness wafting from him in waves.

"Well, I know Dark isn't that way around from me, so far anyways, &amp; I can tell Light is just as you describe him. Wait, is that what's going on when you kinda blank out &amp; start looking like you're listening in on a conversation?" I ask, coming to a small realization. Jak's face pulls into one of small surprise for a split second only to return to a smile after a second.

"Yeah, but in my defense, it's kinda hard to concentrate on a conversation when there's already one going on inside your head," Jak chuckles softly while precariously draping his arm over my shoulders, careful of the spikes on my neck. Just as I relax into Jak's side again, Spyro comes bursting through the door with a happy smile on his face.

"Dinner's done! C'mon outside!" he shouts happily, looking to us &amp; smiling even wider when he sees Jak &amp; I so close together. He then walks into the kitchen as Cynder walks out of their hallway &amp; into the kitchen herself to help Spyro.

"I see you two are indeed close," Hunter says with a suggestive tone standing up &amp; stretching, a peaceful smile on his face when he looks in our direction. Jak &amp; I stand together &amp; begin to walk to the front door, Jak nodding to Hunter with a light smile as we pass by on our way outside to the fire pit, the scent of cooked meat guiding us to the site. The remainder of the night goes by in pleased laughter, Jak taking off to home near eleven at night leaving with a few steaks to bring home with him.

"_Crap! I forgot to show him the drawing &amp; painting_!" I yell at myself, mentally kicking myself in the butt, my eyes having fallen on the forgotten work on the eisel of art as I set my things where I could get them for the next day's work, deciding to bring along the drawing I did of Jak.

Jak's POV

"Most of it, I do believe. What Hunter says is true, I _am_ quite fond of you, Jak, &amp; it pains me to know you have doubts, though I do understand where you get it, &amp; I wish to make ammends to those doubts. So, Jak, if you would please have a walk with me, alone?" Cynder asks, her tone full of truth, &amp; I swear I see a tint of hurt in her eyes, though the question sounded more like a command.

"**I don't like the sound of this. Know what, you're on your own, man. Nice knowin' ya**," Dark says with a nervous laugh, a hint of fear in his normally deep, confident voice.

"Um... sure," I reply, trying my hardest to not sound nervous, though I knew Meldalvyna's mother could tell anyway. As I walk to the door in which Cynder is standing, I can't help but flick my gaze to Meldalvyna, a look of worry spread across her face, her green eyes wide with concern. As I approach the doorway, Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea steps to the side, allowing me to pass through, &amp; waits until I catch up to walk even with her.

"What do I do? She hasn't said anything yet," I ask mentally, hoping to be answered by one of my Eco alters as we begin to walk to one of the sides of the house, following a small dirt path.

"_When she asks you a question, answer truthfully, &amp; maybe we can learn something about her as well &amp; become comfertable around her for it_," Light suggests with a sagely, all-knowing tone.

"I know you don't think I am fond of you, but I am, &amp; that is because I believe we have similar plots to the stories about our pasts," she says as we reach the back of the house, flicking a soft gaze at me as I look between her &amp; the ground, trying not to accidentally walk off the path or trip over the multiple roots sticking out of the ground.

"I remember Meldalvyna telling me that you were... uh... I can't remember her exact words, but something about being feared by a lot of other dragons," I say gently as I walk beside the large dragoness, trying not to offend her. Looking up to her, I see her face fully turn to me before returning her eyes to the path, her eyes full of surprise &amp; sad regret.

"Yes, what she says is true. If it helps, I will tell you my past, in exchange for yours," Cynder says after a second while looking at me through her peripheral, the tone of her voice leading.

"Oh-okay, sure," I reply, my nervousness returning to me as the air around us becomes grim with tension.

"I'll go first," Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea says, looking back infront of us, a small pond coming into view. Stopping at the end of the pond, she looks down at the water &amp; I look at her reflection to see a sad expression spread across her face. She sits down with a sigh, &amp; I sit down next to her, looking into my own reflection.

"It all started before I hatched..."

As Cynder's story unfolds before me, I at first feel fear creep up my spine as she described her time under the control of the Dark Master Malefor, only for it to evolve into sympathy as she described how she was looked at after Spyro saved her from the evil purple dragon's grasp, her gaze never leaving the eyes of her own reflection. As her story comes to a close, I can tell my life's story won't even stand a chance against hers, but a promise is a promise.

"There it is," Meldalvyna's mother finishes, looking up from her reflection in the pond to look at me, "your turn, Jak." Looking to her, I can't help but give a sad half-smile. With a deep sigh, I turn my attention to my reflection, not wanting to see her reactions to my life's story.

"My story is a walk through the park compared to yours, but I guess it has some of what you'd consider bad parts..."

Beginning with my years in Sandover, I describe the island I lived on, the people I met &amp; knew, &amp; with how Daxter was once human, &amp; how he became an ottsel, the fight for not only Sandover as I knew it, but the entire, unknown world with Gol &amp; Maia &amp; the Lurkers, &amp; how I won against them without directly killing anyone or anything, all at the age of 15.

Second, I tell of how I arrived in Haven, my two years of torture in a prison getting injected with Dark Eco, how Daxter broke me out of that prison, me nearly killing him with Dark's first appearance, how I fought for the Underground, my bitter hatred for Baron Praxis &amp; Erol, how Dark had a caused me to almost go insane with his anger &amp; blood-thirst several times, &amp; how I defeated Baron Praxis &amp; MetalKor at the age of 17.

Next, I tell of how after saving the city, Veger &amp; the Council throw me out into the wastelands a year later, where I fight for my right to live in Spargus, the war between the combined forces of the KG &amp; Metalheads against all of Haven, the arrival of the Dark Makers allied with Cyber-Errol, my acquirement of Light, &amp; how I defeated Veger, the KG, the Metalheads, Dark Makers, &amp; Cyber-Errol while also meeting the Precursors, &amp; learning I was actually _the_ Mar at 18 years old. Hearing Cynder's disbelieving laugh at Daxter turning out to actually being a god, I can't help but grin a little bit, a sad grimace having taken over my face as I told my story.

Then I tell of my poisoning in Kras City, my racing against professional racers such as Razor, UR-86, &amp; G.T. Blitz, who turned out to be Mizo, &amp; the betrayal of Rayn who was the deceased Krew's daughter &amp; the heir to being the family's crime lord, all while I was only 19.

Finally, I tell of my adventures at the Brink, starting off with the Eco storms, Keira's &amp; my trip to try to figure out why the Eco was becoming unstable around the world, my not being able to reach Dark or Light without the risk of death, the not-exactly nice meeting of Captain Pheonix &amp; his crew, meeting Skyheed &amp; the Aeropans, the multiple aerial battles, seeing Daxter's Dark Eco alter, learning that Skyheed was actually a villain trying to take over the world using the Eco core of the planet &amp; also had a Dark Side of his own, though it was larger than my own (by a LOT), &amp; he had control over it, &amp; the defeat of Skyheed at the cost of Phoenix's life at the age of 20.

"Then a few months later, I meet your daughter, Sparx, Spyro, you, &amp; now Hunter," I finish with a forced smile &amp; an airy chuckle. Taking my eyes off my reflection, I look up to see Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea staring at me, a look of slight surprise on her large, arrowhead-shaped face.

"I knew we had something in common," she says after a second of silence, "I knew you had quite the story, but I think yours actually outdoes mine." Standing up with the intention to stretch, I discover both my legs had long fallen asleep as my face connects with the dirt with a loud &amp; solid thud, Meldalvyna's mother bursting into laughter behind me.

"Well that sucked, at least I didn't fall in the water," I say as I role over to lay on my back, a grin coming to my face from Cynder's contagious laughter, wiping the dirt &amp; sand off my face.

"If you had, I wouldn't have only laughed at you, I would've _pointed_ &amp; laughed," she says after calming down a little. Smiling, I sit back up to stare at her, a laughing growl escaping my throat.

"Well aren't you just the most nurturing mother ever, Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea," I say with a fake growl, the smile still on my face.

"Why thank you, Jak. Where's my reward &amp; check, then?" Meldalvyna's mother asks with a teasing tone as I shakily stand up, trying not to face-plant again.

"It'll be here in a week, Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea," I answer sarcastically, going along with her tease. Cynder laughs again, the sound loud &amp; true.

"No need for that, Jak," she says after her laughter dies down, a purely entertained smile on her face.

"No need for what?" I ask, not understanding what she meant. The laughing smile on her face morphs into one of a mother, her eyes following suit.

"No need to call me Mrs. Jonathan Elindrea anymore, that was before I could fully trust you with my daughter. Please, call me Cynder for now on," she replies, the motherly smile never leaving her face.

"Alright then, Cynder," I say with a smile, turning around to head back to the house, Cynder following suit. Before we can start our way back, though, Spyro comes into view, the ever-present smile on his face growing once he catches sight of us, &amp; comes to stand infront of us.

"There you two are! What've you two been up to?" he asks, a curious smile on his face.

"Just telling each other our stories, &amp; laughing at this one here," Cynder says, motioning at me with a nod of her head. Spyro's smile pulls into an expression of confusion, looking to me for an explanation.

"I my legs fell asleep while we were eachother about ourselves, &amp; I ended up falling on my face when I tried to stand. After that we started joking around," I say, answering Meldalvyna's step-father's unspoken question.

"Ooookay then. We're having fire-roasted yakkow steaks, &amp; I had a feeling you'd be coming over this evening to drop off Meldalvyna, so I made them incase you were hungry, so, would you like to join us for dinner?" Spyro asks, a freindly smile on his purple face.

"Sure, why not," I reply with a smile &amp; a raised eyebrow, slightly weirded-out by his forwardness for me to eat dinner with them.

"Alright! I'll set up a seat near the fire pit for you," Spyro says with a happy smile, turning to walk a different path than the one Cynder &amp; I took.

"I know, he's a bit overly-freindly, but hey, better than how I usually act around new faces," Cynder says softly with a light smile, already just before the corner of the front of the crumbling house.

"Nah, you're alright, Cynder. Just have to get to know you, is all," I say as we round the corner, heading towards the door. The remainder of the walk goes in pleasant silence, us both passing through the door with smiles on our faces. Looking around the large living room with the smile still on my face, I catch sight of Meldalvyna on the couch, an expression that said she'd been startled, the evidence of drowsiness on her face, &amp; notice Hunter asleep on a pile of pillows. Walking over as Cynder walks to somewhere else in the building, I drop down next to her, the freindly smile never leaving my face.

"So, what did you two talk about that's made you so smiley?" Meldalvyna asks after shrugging off a yawn. Taking a second before I answer her, I scoot closer to her &amp; drape my arms on the back of the couch while leaning back.

"Turns out your mother &amp; I have a few things in common, &amp; it also turns out she's got a strange sense of humor that I kinda like. That &amp; your step-dad invited me over for a fire-roasted dinner," I reply, recalling the short laughter I shared with Cynder only moments ago while dropping the arm that rested behind Meldalvyna onto her shoulders &amp; pulling her to me. As I pull her to my chest, I notice a flash of panic cross her face, only for it to be replaced by a forced smile.

"**She's worrying about something you said, I wonder what it could be**," Dark speaks up, scaring me a little, since both he &amp; Light hadn't said a thing during the entire conversation with Cynder.

"What do you two have in common, then?" Meldalvyna asks while snuggling up against me, though I could tell from her forced smile &amp; tense form that it wasn't what she wanted to ask.

"Well, we both were made into 'monsters' by someone corrupt, we were both saved from becoming worse than that by someone we still trust, we've both done things we aren't proud of &amp; rather not have anyone know about those things, &amp; we both have tough times trusting someone we feel that they weren't exactly 'good people' sometime in their past," I answer after a second of recalling Cynder's &amp; my similarities, my smile slipping into a grimace for the tiniest portion of a second before I could stop it. Meldalvyna nodds at the information, a flash of curiousity zipping through her eyes before she gains an expression that suggested her coming to a decision.

"So, uh, did Spyro tell you what he'd be cooking for dinner?" Meldalvyna asks calmly, though the tension in her body doesn't leave her.

"_I do believe her anxiety comes from the prospect of what Spyro might have cooked, due to how she asked that question_," Light suggests with a thoughtful tone.

"Yeah, he said he had a feeling I was going to show up, &amp; decided to make some yakkow steaks in case I came over," I answer with a light smile, trying to let on that I didn't know she was nervous. Meldalvyna lets out a sigh of relief as she completely relaxes into my side, the side of her head resting against my own, proving Light's theory correct. As Meldalvyna relaxes the back of her neck onto my bicep, I feel three extremely sharp objects stab into my upper arm.

"Hzssst... what _was_ that?" I ask with a hiss of pain, ripping my arm down &amp; away from the back of Meldalvyna's neck as she jumps forwards in surprise while I clasp my opposite hand around the injured muscle to stop it from bleeding worse than it probably already was. Using the hand of my injured arm, I shove Meldalvyna's hair out from behind her neck in search of what just stabbed me.

"What happened?" Meldalvyna asks with a worried tone as I catch sight of what had injured me. Four spikes run down the back of her neck in order of descending length, the three longest slick with my blood.

"You just unintentionally stabbed me in the arm with the spikes on your neck, that's what," I reply with a small grunt. As I pull my hand away from my arm to get a look at the wounds, Meldalvyna turns her head to see for herself. She gasps when she catches sight of the three bloody holes in my arm, each hole dribbling blood, where it gets soaked into my shirt.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Meldalvyna blurts while reaching towards the spines on the back of her neck with one of her hands, feeling the spikes covered in blood with her fingers, &amp; pulls them from behind her to see the tips of her fingers coated in my blood. Looking up to me, a worried expression overtakes her entire face &amp; seeps into her eyes, only for me to smile, though not without pain, as I feel the effects of the Light Eco in my body starting to work, motioning with my chin for her to look.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," I say, nodding towards my injuries again, trying to get her to look so she wouldn't miss it. Meldalvyna takes the hint, turning her head to my bicep, &amp; her expression of worry fades into one of awe &amp; wonder as she watches the holes in my arm close up before her eyes, the only evidence of an injury being my still-fresh blood soaking my arm.

"Before I got Light, Dark would always heal my wounds, but they'd leave a light scratch-like scar where the serious ones were. Now since I have both, I'm pretty hard to hurt &amp; keep injured. Now, I've just have to be a bit more careful where I put any of my limbs," I explain with a smile while reaching behind Meldalvyna's neck with the hand that belongs to the previously injured arm, wiping each spike clean of blood with a different finger.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do now? I can't just wipe it off on my pants, it'll stain," I ask myself mentally as I pull my hand away from her neck-spines, realizing the dilemma I just got myself into, looking between my bloody fingers, hand, arm &amp; white pant legs, trying to come to a solution.

"_Why not wash it off?_" Light suggests, trying to be helpful. Though, I don't really want to get up, so instead I listen for Dark's response.

"**Or you could lick it off so you don't have to get up. Besides, you &amp; I both know blood doesn't taste ****_all that bad_**," Dark suggests with an audible smirk, refrencing to the many times I've woken up from his control with a mixture of my own &amp; someone else's blood in my mouth. Deciding to go with Dark's suggestion, I lick the blood off of my fingers. Looking to Meldalvyna in the process, I notice a creeped-out look on her face &amp; can't help but grin devishly at her.

"You're weird, you know that?" Meldalvyna asks with a teasing tone as I begin to lick my opposite hand &amp; arm clean. When that job is done, I wipe my hands dry of spit on my pant legs. With an evil smile, I grab Meldalvyna's hand that had my blood on her fingers &amp; put each fingertip in my mouth to suck of the blood one at a time, staring into her eyes the entire time.

"Says the person who doesn't have an angry, psychotic, blood thirsty alter whose always argueing with an alter that's all about peace &amp; harmony in their head," I reply with a smirk once I let go of Meldalvyna's hand.

"Well, I know Dark isn't that way around from me, so far anyways, &amp; I can tell Light is just as you describe him. Wait, is that what's going on when you kinda blank out &amp; start looking like you're listening in on a conversation?" Meldalvyna asks suddenly, her question taking me off guard for a portion of a split second.

"Yeah, but in my defense, it's kinda hard to concentrate on a conversation when there's already one going on inside your head," I reply with a light chuckle while I drape my arm over her shoulders again, this time being cautious of where exactly I put my arm. Just as Meldalvyna relaxes into my side, Spyro comes bursting through the front door with an ever-present smile on his face.

"Dinner's done! C'mon outside!" he shouts happily, looking to us &amp; smiling even wider when he sees Meldalvyna &amp; I sitting so close to one another as he walks into the kitchen. Soon after, Cynder walks out of the hallway next to the entrance to the kitchen &amp; into the kitchen itself to help Spyro.

"I see you two are indeed close," Hunter says with a suggestive tone standing up &amp; stretching, a peaceful smile on his face when he looks in our direction. Meldalvyna &amp; I stand together &amp; begin to walk to the front door. As I pass by, I nodd to Hunter in respect with a slight smile on our way to the where the yakkow steaks were being cooked, the scent of the roasting meat guiding us to the site. The remainder of the night is spent talking &amp; laughing until the stars have long since risen. Near eleven, I leave so I'm not exhausted the next morning, promising to attend another dinner with the family of dragons, a giant dragonfly, &amp; their bipedal feline family friend, bringing a few of the uneaten yakkow steaks home with me.

**Author's note:** Thank the Precursors, Jak &amp; Cynder are finally comfertable around each other! Fun fact of the day: remember the yakkows from Jak &amp; Daxter The Precursor Legacy? Well guess what, **THEY ARE REAL! **Yep, you heard (well, actually read) it right, yakkows are real, only they are spelt **yak cow** instead of yakkow. No joke, look it up on da Google's! tigerdj98 out, for now! **WAIT! Before I leave, for all you readers (new &amp; old):** Chapters will be for now on posted twice a month, on the **second &amp; fourth weeks of every month no later (unless delayed by unannounced events) than Wednesday. **Chapter 26 will be coming out anytime from the 18th to the 22nd, unless delayed! For real this time, tigerdj98 out!


	26. Dates & a Party

**Author's Note:** Hello all, tigerdj98 here with chapter 26! Anyways, I didn't really know where to go with this chapter, but I figured it out, like, after the first paragraph where to go, &amp; I must say, I'm going to be ABSOLUTELY **EVIL**! Also, there is some music in this chapter, so hopefully the link actually copies down right... (0 _ 0). Also **_PLEASE READ THE NOTE AT THE BOTTOM, IT CONTAINS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!_**

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these character's originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

Jak's POV

Waking up from a peaceful slumber at the sound of my ever annoying alarm clock, I groggily sit up out of bed. Thankfully, both Light &amp; Dark don't wake up from the little machine's loud, blaring beeps. I walk into the bathroom &amp; comb my hair that was shagged by sleep into its normal style. Walking back into my bedroom, I start to dress. Slipping into my required Freedom League Commander's uniform, I pick up my communicator to put it in my uniform pocket, only for it to start ringing in my hand. Without looking at who it was, I put the little device up to my ear.

"Hello?" I ask as I walk into the kitchen of my apartment, planning to grab a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

"Hello Jak," I hear Torn's voice say as I get down a bowl from my cabinet. With Torn's voice, I feel both Dark &amp; Light wake up with anticipation.

"Oh, hey Torn. What's up?" I ask curiously, looking at my house clock as I get out the cereal &amp; the yakow milk, knowing I wasn't late. Usually, Torn calls me for an urgent reason, or if I'm late.

"You &amp; Meldalvyna have the day off, thanks to Daxter," Torn replies as I pour out some of the cereal, a light tone to his voice, causing me to pause.

"What did Dax do?" I ask, trying to think of what Daxter might have done.

"Today is November twenty-fifth," Torn replies, a smirk evident in his voice.

"So?" I ask, not picking up on Torn's mysterious hint.

"Today is the day we won the Kras City Grand Championship last year, &amp; Daxter is insistent on throwing a celebration later tonight," Torn answers with an exasperated huff, though the smirk is still evident in his voice.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that stupid damn race. I'm guessing you're giving us the day off since you're going too?" I ask him, putting down the cereal box &amp; leaning against the countertop.

"Yes. You should call Meldalvyna to tell her that you two have the day off, &amp; that Daxter said she's also invited, see you later," Torn says hanging up. Pulling the communicator from my ear, I punch in Meldalvyna's number.

"Hey Jak, what's up?" I hear Meldalvyna answer with a yawn, telling me she must've either just woken up or did a few minutes ago.

"Not much, just one thing, but first, did I wake you?" I ask with an apologetic tone. I didn't want her to be mad at me first thing in the morning.

"Sort'a, I was already up, just getting dressed... kind 'a half-asleep until my communicator went off, woke me up the rest of the way," Meldalvyna replies with a small laugh, a yawn interrupting her half-way through her sentence.

"Oh good," I say with a tone of relief, happy I didn't wake her, though catching her in the middle of her getting dressed isn't exactly great of me either.

"**Sounds good to me though. Too bad you didn't video-call her, 'cuz I definitely could use a good jump-start**," Dark pouts mischievously, causing me to cringe with his suggestion.

"_Do you have no respect for a women's privacy?_" Light scolds Dark, his voice harsh &amp; stern.

"**Yeah, I do thank you very much! Is it wrong for me to appreciate our girl's looks enough to want to see her out of 'em?!**" Dark yells back.

"_Though it is not wrong for you to appreciate her looks, it is bad to see her in the-_"

"Excuse me but, WILL YOU TWO SHUT THE FUCK UP?!" I mentally yell at the two, interrupting Light before he could finish his sentence, successfully stopping the two in their tracks.

"Jak, you still there?" I hear Meldalvyna ask, her slightly worried voice bringing me back to the physical world.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I had to break up a fight between Dark &amp; Light before it got serious," I answer with a nervous laugh, absent-mindedly rubbing the back of my neck in the process.

"Oh, so what was that 'one thing' you needed to tell me?" Meldalvyna asks her voice bouncing a little as I hear floor boards creaking in the background &amp; a few slight clangs of metal hitting metal.

"It was to tell you that Daxter is inviting you to a party celebrating my team's winning of the Kras City Grand Championship at the Naughty Ottsel, &amp; that Torn is giving us the day off," I reply, a smile forming on my face as an idea creeps into my mind for later today.

"Oh, okay! I still have to ask my mother if I can go to the party, what should I say?" she asks, a thoughtful tone in her voice.

"Just say Dax invited you to a party &amp; you're going with me. I don't want you to get in trouble with Cynder for lying to her &amp; not be able to go," I respond, the plan I have in mind making my smile grow a little.

"Okay, give me a sec..." Meldalvyna says as I hear her walk away from the communicator. A few moments later, I hear footsteps get closer followed by a door shutting.

"She said I can go as long as I'm back before midnight. So what do you want to do today?" I hear Meldalvyna ask, the slight sound of metal clanging against metal &amp; the sound of something being brushed against something else.

"I have a few things in mind, but first I have to ask one thing. Have you eaten breakfast yet?" I ask, my plan coming into the works.

"No, why?" Meldalvyna asks, a curious smile evident in her voice.

"Well, I was planning on taking you out for breakfast. Then after breakfast, I was going to bring you to that clothing shop to pick up your new clothes, besides that, I can't really think of anything else," I reply with a smooth tone, telling Meldalvyna my plan with a smile on my face.

"That sounds amazing! So, are you going to pick me up?" she asks with a suggestive tone.

"Yeah, I'll be there in thirty-five minutes," I reply, a smile on my face.

"Okay, see you then handsome," Meldalvyna says with a seductive tone, hanging up before I could react. With a smile, I change out of my Freedom League uniform &amp; into a white shirt, brown leather chest-harness, dark blue leather jacket with dull silver shoulder-guards, matching dark blue fingerless racing gloves, my jet-board pouch, &amp; tan pants. Over my pants, I pull on blue leather cuff-like pieces that matched my jacket over my thighs &amp; shins, dull silver knee-pads, my combat boots while tucking the tops of my pants into my boots, &amp; strapping on shin-guards over the fronts of my boots. Finally, I wrap a blue leather band around my stomach just above my hips &amp; pull my shirt until it was smooth against my body, leaving the jacket outside the wrap, then slip my goggles onto my head, using it as a hairband for my unruly hair that has a tendency to fall into my face, even with how short it is. Shoving my communicator into my pocket, I walk into the bathroom &amp; brush my teeth.

Thirty minutes later, I jump off my jet-board with a front-flip, grabbing the device &amp; putting it in its pouch as I spin through the air, &amp; landing with it completely tucked away &amp; the pouch snapped shut. Walking up to the door of Meldalvyna's house, I give the slab of wood three hard knocks while standing to the side of the door so I won't get hit when it opens. Seconds later, the door swings open to reveal Meldalvyna in her usual silver steel brassiere &amp; skirt, her hair tied back in a metal bangle-bound braid with a few long strands left out, framing her beautiful, obsidian face, her dark lapis lazuli forehead markings nearly hidden by her hair, her false hood gathered elegantly around her alluringly strong shoulders, silver combat boots, &amp; gloves.

"Hey Meldalvyna, ready to go?" I ask with a smile, looking her up &amp; down.

"Yeah," Meldalvyna replies, a blush starting to form under her pastel-blue eyelid markings.

"You aren't going to say bye to us first?" I hear Cynder say from somewhere close by in the living room, her huge form becoming visible only a second later from the shadows of the interior of the house, a smile on her face.

"Oh, sorry. Bye mom, see you later. BYE DAD, BYE SPARX, SEE YOU LATER!" Meldalvyna shouts into the doorway after giving her mother a hug around Cynder's huge neck. Upon hearing a reply from both step father &amp; double-step uncle, Meldalvyna walks over to my side, wrapping her hand around one of my own.

"Jak, before you go... I know that Meldalvyna is old enough to drink here, so if anything... _unpredictable_ happens, bring her to your living quarters if need be, &amp; if nothing happens that'd cause that action to be taken, I want her back _before_ midnight. I _trust_ you won't do anything that would... hinder... that trust?" Cynder asks looking at me, her massive head lowered so she can look me in the eyes, &amp; her tone giving off a warning. I hear Meldalvyna whisper 'mom' slightly in an embarrassed tone, but try to ignore it as best I can.

"Uh-um... yes, of course I'll do that, &amp; I promise nothing... well, ya' know... will happen between us," I reply shyly, trying to fight back a blush while rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment. With a nod &amp; a warning smile, Cynder turns &amp; returns into the shadows of the crumbling house. Walking down the path, the trip goes in embarrassed silence for what seems like an eternity.

"So, where do you plan on taking me to breakfast?" Meldalvyna asks, causing me to look at her. A slight blush still causing her black scales to turn to a more purple hue on her face.

"Somewhere where nice, that's for sure," I reply with a thoughtful nod, trying not to think of what Cynder had implied earlier. Ten minutes of silence follows after this, until I go to help Meldalvyna onto my zoomer.

"Why don't we go to the Naughty Ottsel? It's somewhere we both know &amp; are comfortable in," Meldalvyna suggests, stopping herself halfway onto the zoomer.

"I want to take you somewhere nice, why to the Naughty Ottsel?" I reply with a question of my own, trying to look underneath her hood at her face. Meldalvyna's hood opening snaps towards me as a silent second passes by.

"You want the honest answer?" Meldalvyna asks instead, a shy smile in her voice. I nod to her, curious as to why she'd suggest a bar of all places.

"I want to drive, &amp; that's the only place that serves food I know inside the city," Meldalvyna answers with a single, airy chuckle, a smirk evident in her face. With a laughing smile, I climb onto the zoomer &amp; scoot backwards, leaving space for Meldalvyna up front. Offering my hand for her to take, she takes my hand &amp; swings herself up. Shifting her wings slightly behind herself &amp; to my sides, she pulls her tail up &amp; curves the flexible appendage around the left side of my waist, her tail-blade ending up on my right side. Leaning forward so that my chest was as close to her back as I could get, I wrap my arms around her waist for extra safety, knowing how she liked to go fast.

Breakfast goes by quick, &amp; I learn that I should bring more money the next time I decide to take Meldalvyna out on a date, especially if she hasn't eaten yet that day. After that, we stop by the small clothing store where Meldalvyna chose the design for her new clothes. To our luck, the shop keeper is at the front like last time.

"Jak, Meldalvyna! Here to pick up the lady's clothes I see!" the man says happily when he catches sight of us.

"Are they ready?" Meldalvyna asks while pulling down her hood &amp; unwrapping her wings from around herself, revealing to the shop owner her current outfit.

"Yes, &amp; I must say that is quite the beautiful outfit you have on there, miss, it suits your figure nicely. Is it pure silver?" he asks, &amp; I can't help but feel like he is hitting on MY girlfriend, one of my eyes uncontrollably twitching with the inference.

"Thank you, but no sir, this isn't silver. It's polished dragon's steel. It's a durable armor, but extremely light in weight, so I wear it as clothes. Why not two birds with one stone, am I right?" Meldalvyna replies with a flattered tone &amp; a cocky smile.

"I see. Anyways, here you go, the lady's changing rooms are that way if you wish to try them on," the shop keep points after handing Meldalvyna her new clothes, a gentle smile on his face. With an excited nod, Meldalvyna rushes off in the direction he pointed with a smile on her face. Two minutes later, the sound of the changing room door unlocking &amp; opening fills the silent air. Turning my head towards the sound I catch sight of Meldalvyna walking into the main room &amp; have to consciously keep my jaw from dropping at the sight of Meldalvyna in her new clothes, her previous outfit in her arms.

Meldalvyna's entire outfit fit her beautifully. Her dark leaf-green &amp; pure white striped belly shirt flowed with the curves of her breasts, giving her a modestly sexy appearance, contrasting gorgeously with her red &amp; black stomach. Her dark cobalt blue jeans sat smoothly against her skin, following the curves of her legs &amp; hips, the silver-studded black leather belt &amp; silver zippers along with other accents matching the silver of her boots &amp; the shine of her snow-white horns. Meldalvyna's slightly darker, matching jean jacket has attached to it the cloak &amp; hood, the hood down to reveal her shy, smiling face, the silver zippers &amp; buttons matching the ones on her pants, the hood &amp; cloak on the piece of clothing giving it the resemblance of a trench coat.

"**Jak**," Dark starts off, his tone filled with awe, "**I want her, &amp; I want her NOW**."

"_Though I do not wish to be reduced to such a low, I must agree with Dark_," Light agrees, his tone matching Dark's.

"Guys, you're not helping," I say to them mentally, still gawking at Meldalvyna's absolute beauty in her new outfit.

"So, what do you think, miss?" the owner asks, a slight smile on his face.

"I love it, what do you think Jak?" Meldalvyna asks, turning her attention to me, a shy smile on her face when she notices my awe-struck expression.

"I'd say by the looks of it, he quite enjoys it," the shop keeper says with a knowing chuckle, &amp; I can't help but send embarrassed daggers with my eyes at him. Meldalvyna giggles with a bashful smile, her black-scaled cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Uh... y-y-you look amazing, Mel," I reply timidly with a sheepish smile, using another nick-name while rubbing the back of my neck. Meldalvyna's shy smile only grows with my comment, the blush on her cheeks becoming even more noticeable.

"Thank you, sir. How much is it?" Meldalvyna asks, turning to the man, the diffident smile still on her face.

"Oh, your friend here paid for it the day you two first came in," the man replies, a friendly smile on his face. Meldalvyna turns toward me with surprise on her face, only for the expression to turn into an appreciative smile.

"Okay, well, see you sometime again," Meldalvyna says while walking over to me, putting her hood up then grabbing hold of my hand. Taking her previous outfit from her, I put the steel bra, skirt, &amp; false hooded-cloak into my pack so she wouldn't have to carry them everywhere.

"See you two!" the man returns pleasantly with a shout as we head out the door of the shop hand in hand. The rest of the day is followed by driving through the city, eating lunch, going to the stadium to race each other on the Freedom League zoomers (I won four times, Meldalvyna won three, &amp; we tied three times), went to the shooting range &amp; held another competition (that one we tied even), ate dinner, then walked around the port until my communicator went off on our way back to my zoomer, making us both jump a little.

"Hello?" I answer, not bothering to look at the caller i.d.

"Jak, wha's up?" I hear Daxter's voice ask on the other end, his voice smiling.

"Nothing much, just spending the day with Meldalvyna waiting for the memo to come to the party is all," I reply with a smile, pulling the arm I had around Meldalvyna's shoulders up &amp; behind my head &amp; leaning backwards slightly as if I were relaxing on a grassy hill, the position causing me to slow my pace a little.

"Well, the here's the memo you've been waitin' fer. The par-tay starts in, like, five minutes! Sig en' Jinx are already 'ere, Torn en' Ashelin said they'd be 'ere in a few, &amp; Keira says she'll be 'ere a minute or two after the party starts," Daxter says excitedly, trying to urge us to get to the Naughty Ottsel faster.

"Alright, we'll be there in a minute or two Dax. I just have to go get my zoomer," I reassure Daxter, returning to an actually natural walking position.

"Okay, see ya then," Daxter says before hanging up. Putting my communicator back in my pocket, I wrap my arm back around Meldalvyna's shoulders &amp; return to my normal pace of walking towards the zoomer.

"So, what did Daxter want?" Meldalvyna asks, the opening to her hood shifting so that it faced me.

"Dax was just letting us know that the party is going to start in five minutes, I've just gotta go get the zoomer first," I reply, my cobalt blue zoomer coming into sight not even a second later. Hoping onto the zoomer once we get there, I floor it all the way to the Naughty Ottsel, startling Meldalvyna into a fit of excited giggles with the sudden whip of speed. Pulling to a slow stop just outside the door, I turn off the zoomer &amp; help Meldalvyna down from her perch on the vehicle. Once down, I kiss her forehead &amp; wrap my arm around her shoulders, her wings being wrapped around her body preventing me from wrapping my arm around her waist. Before I can even knock, the door opens &amp; the familiar smells of the interior of the Naughty Ottsel come flooding out. Automatically, a smile creeps onto my face as I lead Meldalvyna through the doorway &amp; into the bar.

Meldalvyna's POV

"Jak, Meldalvyna! Here to pick up the lady's clothes I see!" the shop keeper says happily when he catches sight of us.

"Are they ready?" I ask while pulling down the hood to my black fake hood &amp; cloak, unwrapping my wings from around myself to fold them shut behind me.

"Yes, &amp; I must say that is quite the beautiful outfit you have on there, miss, it suits your figure nicely. Is it pure silver?" the man asks when he catches sight of my normal outfit. Unknown to the two men in the room, I catch the smell of protective annoyance coming from Jak &amp; resist the urge to look at him &amp; tell him it was alright.

"Thank you, but no sir, this isn't silver. It's polished dragon's steel. It's a durable armor, but extremely light in weight, so I wear it as clothes. Why not two birds with one stone, am I right?" I say with a tone of flattery &amp; a joking smile, trying to ignore the intense urge to look at Jak.

"I see. Anyways, here you go, the lady's changing rooms are that way if you wish to try them on," the shop keep points after handing me my new clothes. With an excited nod &amp; a smile, I rush off in the direction he pointed, eager to try on my new clothes. Once inside the changing room &amp; the door locked, I immediately begin stripping out of my steel outfit &amp; into my new cloth one.

As I slip into the deep leaf-green &amp; white striped belly tank-top, I realize just how much attention to detail the shop owner put into the making of my clothes. The top clipped around my chest in a sports-bra like fashion, the bottom band magnetically clipping together just beneath where my wings separated from my back, while the top band magnetically clipped both above where my wings separated from my back &amp; to the bottom band on either side of each wing joint, creating a sleeve-like tube around the beginning of my wings. Next, I pull myself into my pants, discovering the design was far simpler than the shirt. The hole for my tail was only a little more than a sleeve attached to the seat of my pants with a zipper on the underside of the sleeve-like portion. Finally, I pull on my jean jacket, taking note of the leather stripping on the inside of the sleeves to protect them from my elbow spikes &amp; the similar design of the area around my wings to my shirt, though these openings around the bases of my wings were a bit more baggy &amp; had zippers instead of magnetic buttons. Sliding the optional cloak portion of my jacket over my wings like a glove, I realize that if I were to just let my wings hang half-relaxed, it'd give it the jacket an appearance of an open trench coat with a hood. Lastly, I pull back on my combat boots, tucking the bottoms of my new jeans into my boots.

"_Oh my Ancestors, I look good! That shop owner obviously knows what he's doing. I bet Jak's gonna like it!_" I think to myself excitedly as I look at my reflection in the mirror hanging in the changing room, happy with the results so far.

"_Ooh, I also look good from behind!_" I exclaim mentally after I turn around to look at my backward reflection, now fully happy with the results. With a confident smile, I grab my previous outfit &amp; fold it up as much as the amounts of metal &amp; cloth would allow with one hand, unlock the door the other, &amp; strut out into the main room of the little shop.

"So, what do you think, miss?" the owner asks once he catches sight of me, a slight smile on his face.

"I love it, what do you think Jak?" I reply to the shop owner while also turning my head to the man in question, wanting to know what my boyfriend thought. Looking at his face, I can't help a shy smile when I realize Jak is doing all he can not to let his jaw drop, his eyes darting up &amp; down my body.

"I'd say by the looks of it, he quite enjoys it," the shop keeper says with a knowing chuckle, also noticing Jak's current expression. Jak glares at the man with an embarrassed expression, &amp; I can't help but give off a small giggle at Jak's expression, a blush trying to force its way to my cheeks.

"Uh... y-y-you look amazing, Mel," Jak replies shyly with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he speaks. I can't help but smile even wider when he says this, the blush burning even hotter on my cheeks.

"Thank you, sir. How much is it?" I ask turning back to the shop owner, the still smiling difidently.

"Oh, your friend here paid for it the day you two first came in," the man replies, a friendly smile on his face, the answer throwing me off guard. With an expression of surprise, I look to Jak, only for it to turn to one of appreciation, trying to say 'thank you' without speaking.

"Okay, well, see you sometime again," I say while walking over to Jak while pulling up the hood to my new outfit, grabbing Jak's hand once I reach him. Once there, Jak takes my previous outfit out of my arms &amp; puts them into the large pouch strapped to his back.

"See you two!" the man returns pleasantly with a shout as we head out the door of the shop hand in hand. The rest of the day is followed by driving through the city, eating lunch, going to the stadium to race each other on the Freedom League zoomers (Jak won four times, I won three, &amp; we tied three), went to the shooting range &amp; held another competition (that one we tied even), ate dinner, then walked around the port until Jak's communicator went off as we walk back to his zoomer, making us both jump a little.

"Hello?" Jak asks once the communicator is to his ear, not having bothered to check the caller i.d. I can just barely hear the person on the other end, the voice familiar but unidentifiable due to how quiet it sounds.

"Nothing much, just spending the day with Meldalvyna waiting for the memo to come to the party is all," Jak says after a second with a smile, pulling the arm that had been around my shoulders up &amp; behind his head, leaning back as if he were relaxed on a grassy hill or bed, the position causing him to slow down a little.

"_I wonder who's calling Jak. Is it Daxter? Kind'a sounds like him_," I think to myself, trying to identify the barely audible voice.

"Alright, we'll be there in a minute or two Dax. I just have to go get my zoomer," Jak says a second later with a reassuring tone while returning to a natural walking position, confirming my guess as to who is calling us. Not even a second later, Jak returns the communicator to his pocket &amp; re-wraps his arm around my shoulders, returning to our earlier pace.

"So, what did Daxter want?" I ask while turning my head to Jak so I could look at him full on.

"Dax was just letting us know that the party is going to start in five minutes, I've just gotta go get the zoomer first," Jak replies his cobalt blue zoomer coming into sight not even a second later. Hoping onto the zoomer once we get there, Jak floors it all the way to the Naughty Ottsel, startling me into a fit of excited giggles with the sudden whip of speed. Pulling to a slow stop just outside the door, Jak turns off the zoomer &amp; helps me down from my perch on the vehicle. Once down, he kisses my forehead &amp; wraps his arm around my shoulders. Before Jak can even knock, the door opens &amp; the familiar smells of the interior of the Naughty Ottsel come flooding out. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a smile creep onto Jak's face as he leads me through the doorway &amp; into the bar.

"Hey, if it isn't Jakkie-boy &amp; his hybrid-lady friend! I was wonderin' when you two'd show up!" Jinx says happily before I can even look around, stopping us a good two feet away from the door as I take down my hood.

"Jinx, how's it going?" Jak asks with a smile, Jinx stepping out of the way as we walk together towards the bar counter where Daxter &amp; Tess are standing, a tall shot glass filled with a dark liquid in their paws, both of them waiving with their opposite paws once they see us &amp; a smile on their face. Sitting on one of the bar stools near them is the tall form of Sig, a dark brown bottle in his hand at which he is sipping.

"T's all good," Jinx replies, sitting down next to Sig, causing the large man to turn his attention to us.

"Cherries, nice to see you're here," Sig says happily with a friendly smile, turning around completely in his seat to face us.

"Nice to see you here too, Sig," I reply for both Jak &amp; I, a smile finding its way onto my face.

"I see you have a new hooded-cloak, what's underneath it?" Jinx asks suggestively, causing Jak to glare at him with a smile. With a proud smile, I pull my wings up &amp; away from my body, folding them in the relaxed position behind my back like I normally do. Everyone's (save Jak's) jaw drops a little &amp; their eyebrows raise once they fully catch sight of my new outfit &amp; I can't help but smile even wider at their reactions.

"Oh my Precursors, you look stunning!" Tess exclaims with a small squeal of glee, her smile broadening until it looks like it should split her face in half.

"Uh huh, Jak's gonna have a hard time keepin' ya to 'imself! One question though, how'd you get yer wings through?" Daxter asks, looking me up &amp; down with a critical expression.

"Oh, it clips together with magnetic buttons to make sleeves for my wings, &amp; the top is the same way," I answer with a happy tone &amp; smile, spinning around for emphasis, "the hood &amp; cloak are also detachable!"

"Well, all I know is you look good in it Cherry," Sig says, a smile on his face. Just then, the door slides open to reveal Torn &amp; Ashelin standing on the opposite side, a calm, happy smile on both of their faces.

"Tattooed Wonders, nice to see you showed up a minute before the par-tay starts!" Daxter greets them with a playfully scornful tone, nearly spilling his drink as he makes a boisterous gesture with his arms when he sees the two.

"Nice to see you're still loud as ever," Ashelin says with a smile. Looking up to me, she smiles a bit wider &amp; nods a greeting. Nodding back, I turn back to see Jak sitting on one of the bar stools, looking up at me with a mischievous grin on his face. In one fluid &amp; quick motion, Jak spins me around by my waist with one hand &amp; pulls me into his lap by my hips with his other, earning a surprised squeal from me. Turning around to look at his face, I see the devious smile still on his face grow just a bit wider &amp; can't help but laugh. With a devious smile of my own, I slide out of his lap &amp; into the bar stool next to him, Tess walking up &amp; setting a fruity smelling drink with a hint of alcohol next to me. With a turn of my head, I give her a questioning look, only for her to send me a smile in return.

"You always get some sort of fruity drink when you come here, so I thought you might prefer a fruity bit of wine or something along those lines," Tess explains as she walks off. With a wary sniff &amp; an encouraging nudge from Jak, I take a tiny sip, only to immediately take another, much larger drink from the glass.

"I see you like it, can I try it?" Jak says, a mysterious smirk playing over his lips.

"Sure, go right ahead," I reply with a curious tone, pushing the drink towards Jak. Instead of grabbing the drink, he places one of his hands behind my head (careful of my horns of course) &amp; pulls me into a kiss, pushing his tongue into my mouth. Pulling away two seconds later (with a chorus of 'ooooh's from everyone else in the room), Jak chuckles at my surprised expression.

"Mm, tasty. I might have to get that some time," Jak says, the smile on his face becoming a full-fledged, devious smirk.

"Apparently so," I say with a chuckle of my own &amp; a smile. Suddenly, music starts pounding through the room, causing some of the less full glasses to vibrate with the music's intensity. As the rhythm &amp; flow of the music begins to pick up, I can't help but begin to tap my foot, then thump my tail lightly against the counter, then bob my head, until I finally end up slowly bouncing &amp; swaying my entire upper-half to the beat of the music. A few minutes into the music, Keira arrives at the party, &amp; Jak sends a smile before turning his attention to his own drink &amp; me. As the party picks up in energy, I notice Jak looking at me curiously out of the corner of my eye.

"What?" I ask, looking at him with an incredulous expression &amp; a light chuckle.

"You're bouncing in your seat, you obviously want to dance," Jak says, summing up my restrained actions in a single sentence.

"The music isn't exactly what I'm used to, but I'll go see if Dax has any music that'll suit me," I say, taking a hug gulp of my third helping of the fruity drink (Jak stole half of my second one), finishing it off only to have another one set in its place by Tess. Walking up to Daxter, I tap the dj's table to get his attention. Looking up, his eyes land on me with a curious 'what' clearly inscribed in his expression.

"Got any belly-dance type music?" I ask over the blaring music. With a nod, Daxter starts messing with the controls of the dj table as the pounding music begins to change tempo in the current song.

"It'll be the next one!" Daxter shouts over the blasting music with a thumbs up &amp; a smile. With a thankful nod, I walk back over to my seat &amp; begin taking off my jacket.

"I'm guessing he had the type of music you wanted?" Jak asks as I release the straps of my jacket from around my wings.

"Yeah, it's going to be the next song," I reply as I pull my wings out of the jacket's wing-pockets &amp; wiggle my arms out of the sleeves.

"You want some help with that?" Jak asks with a grin as he watches me struggling out of my jacket. With a nod from me, Jak stands up &amp; helps me pull off the jacket.

"Thank you, the song should be starting soon," I say after the jacket fully comes off, folding it up &amp; setting it on the seat.

"Wow, you look amazing in just that," Jak says with a smile, taking a gulp of his own drink (his second one mind you) while looking me up &amp; down.

"Thanks," I say with a devious smile, stepping a little closer. Jak lowers his drink away from his mouth as I approach him, a curious look spread across his face. With a huge smirk, I grab the back of Jak's head by his hair &amp; pull him into a kiss, pushing my tongue into his mouth like he did to me earlier as I wrap my tail around one of his legs, tasting the alcohol he was drinking on his tongue. With an exaggerated smack, I pull away &amp; begin to laugh when I see the surprised look on his face, only for it to fade into a cocky smirk.

"Mm, I like it," I say, my smile never falling from my face. With a squeeze, I unwrap myself from him &amp; take a seat next to him, hanging my tail near Jak. Waiting for my song to start, I feel my tail being lifted up &amp; I turn to see Jak messing with my tail.

"What are you doing?" I ask with a small laugh, Jak turning with a guilty looking grin.

"I'm playing with your tail, you keep on wrapping it around me each time you kiss or hug me, so I started playing with it," Jak explains, still playing with my tail &amp; looking at my tail-blade.

"I wouldn't do that, I sharpened it this morning," I say as Jak moves to see how sharp my tail-blade is with his thumb like one would a knife. With an exaggerated look of surprise, Jak drops my tail-blade &amp; continues messing with my tail. A second later, Daxter stops the music once the current song finally reaches its end, the lack of music drawing everyone's attention to the ottsel sitting atop the dj table.

"Hey guys, up next is a song style requested by Meldalvyna, so if you want to dance, better make it a belly-dance!" Daxter says with excited gusto &amp; a little shake of his hips while motioning to me. With a shy, yet confident smile, I stand up &amp; walk towards the clearest area of the room as everyone turns their eyes on me. With a small flourish, I turn &amp; look straight at Jak to see a curious smile spread across his face, his eyes expectant.

"_Time to see if he likes my dancing_," I think to myself, allowing my smile to grow just a bit wider.

(tigerdj98 Note: Open a new tab, type in "Egyptic" by Beats Antique, come back &amp; listen while reading)

With a thumbs up to Daxter, the music starts to play. The song starts off slow &amp; smooth, to which I begin to slowly push my chest upwards &amp; out until it changes to a lower note, making my chest flick into the reverse of my first movement. Only a few seconds later, the bass drums come in, to which I do small hip checks while keeping my movements fluid. As the faster drums of the song come in, I make my movements quicker, rippling my stomach to the rolls &amp; clicking my hips left &amp; right to the kicks, slapping them downward all in quick movements. Barely lifting my feet off the ground, I glide across the floor while pushing my chest in outwards to the left, now the right, forward, upwards, &amp; back down into a normal position all the while shimmying my hips. When the main violins &amp; other instruments come in, I role my shoulders &amp; hips in opposite directions, keeping my arms moving as if they are plants underneath an ever-changing current. With every upwards role of my shoulders I stand a bit higher, &amp; every downwards role, I begin to drop into a sashaying squat only to stand up while pushing my chest out.

As the flow of the music changes to accompany a series of quick bass rolls &amp; bass-like violins, I stop in my trip around the room &amp; face Jak, rippling my stomach to the speed of the bass &amp; moving my arms to the flow of the music. Jak's eyes widen as he licks his lips, watching my body as I make it move in time with the beat, rhythm, &amp; flow of the music all at once, rolling my head backwards for extra flare. The song returns to its normal beat, which I follow until it comes again to the quick bass-y part, partnered by a deep violin-like instrument, to which I smoothly slam my chest outwards in all directions, turning my head to the respective side when I decide to go left or right. Soon the song ends &amp; I return to my seat close to sweating &amp; my sides exhausted.

"You are amazing, can you do another?" Jak asks, a hopeful smile on his face. With a smile &amp; an exaggerated sigh, I stand up &amp; motion to Daxter to start another one after taking a huge swig of my drink. Soon into the next song, everything becomes blurred together, the night a mixture of dancing, drinking, &amp; so many other things I can't remember, until at some point I fall asleep.

Feeling something shift slightly beneath one of my arms, I snuggle into it, assuming it to be one of my blankets on its way to falling off my bed. Again, another shift pulls me a bit further awake as I notice the scent of sandy beaches &amp; Eco.

"_Wait a second, Jak_," I think to myself, a bit of panic setting in only to relax a second later.

"_I sat in Jak's lap a lot last night, I'm fine_," I remember, though the action was fuzzy. Catching the scent again &amp; feeling a shift of blankets over bare shoulder accompanied by a shift underneath my arms &amp; naked chest, I can't help but open my eyes. Upon doing so, I find myself blinded by the already intense morning sunlight shaded by either some large object, or some object that was close to my face. Pupils finally adjusting to the light, I find myself staring into the equally surprised, ocean-blue orbs that are Jak's eyes. I can only think of one thing as I realize just where I am &amp; Jak's current condition.

"_Oh shit..._"

**Author's Note**: I told y'all I'd be **EVIL**! Anyways, I want to know what you guys thought of the chapter. Anyhow, it took me forever to settle on what song to use, I like Sonia's &amp; Thalita Menezes' belly-dances to the song I used, &amp; you guys should check them belly-dancers out! Also, **THERE WILL BE A SCHEDULE CHANGE! For now on (due to parents' orders), ****new chapters will be posted ****(if it works) every ****second &amp; fourth week ****of every month on**** Friday ****(unless post-poned).**


	27. Afterparty Panic

**Author's Note:** Hello all &amp; welcome to chapter 27 of this little story! Well, first off, I'd like to thank **Zero the fox** for being the only reviewer so far (though I would seriously like to know what you other readers think!). I would also like to thank **blossomlilytree**, **poisonfirethunder**, &amp; **DraconicElf** for favoriting this story, &amp; **IDRF**, **poisonfirethunder,** &amp; **blossomlilytree** for following this story!

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these character's originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

Any who, there is a tiny little note at the bottom that I think a few of you may be interested in! But for now... TO ZEH STORY!

THIS IS A JAK'S POV ONLY! SUGGESTIVE CONTENT INSIDE AS WELL!

Jak's POV

The feeling of my blankets shifting over my bare chest, as if they are about to fall off, brings me to the waking world, though leaving my eyes closed. As I make a blind grab for the blanket before it can slip down to the floor, the feeling suddenly comes to a stop, the blankets feeling as if they push into my chest. Trying to remove the pressure from my chest, I pull my body slightly away from the pressure as I wake up a little more from my sleep, smelling cherries &amp; pine trees.

"Wait, that's Meldalvyna's scent," I panic slightly, though I keep my eyes closed tight, afraid of what I might open them to, the fearful thought sending a surprised jolt through my body, causing my arms to twitch.

"It could just be Meldalvyna's scent still stuck to me, she did sit in my lap a lot last night," I remember, the thought relieving, though still very fuzzy. Something touching my bare legs shift up towards the bottom hem of my boxers, the thing smooth &amp; slightly warm, causing my eyes to finally snap open. Blinded for a portion of a second by the already bright morning light, I blink until I see a clear image of just what lay next to me.

Eyes finally used to the light, I find myself staring into the green, equally surprised gems that are Meldalvyna's eyes &amp; take notice of our current conditions. I immediately notice Meldalvyna snuggled to my chest, her large cleavage void of clothing &amp; any form of covering, frozen in shock as I too notice that I'm in a similar predicament, the only clothing on my person being my underwear. This all takes place in less than a milisecond.

With simultaneous, horrified cries of surprise, we jump towards opposite sides of the bed, the noise officially awakening Light &amp; Dark, alerting them both of the current situation, only for Dark to fall back to sleep.

"Ancestors! Di-did... did we...?" Meldalvyna stutters, now holding the blankets over her chest with one hand &amp; the other pushing her up onto her elbow, her voice cracking with worry, nearly crying &amp; her eyes filled with wild concern &amp; curiosity.

"No... w-well, I don't think so... I hope we didn't..." I stammer in reply, not able to remember the night before much past Meldalvyna's second belly dance, trying to think making my head hurt worse than it already is. With a deep breathe, I smell the air in the room, trying to determine if anything _did_ happen. Saddly, I discover that I cannot smell anything that would give me a clear clue, the scents in the room too stale &amp; mixed to pick out any one, all ontop of an ever-growing hangover. Meldalvyna, hearing my deep breaths, follows suit, only for her expression to become even more grim.

"Can you tell if we..." I ask, though not able to finish my sentence, fearing the full answer. Meldalvyna's face falls slightly, a sad frown taking her face as she shakes her head slowly no.

"_My Precursors, my... our head hurts, what did you do last night, Jak_?" I hear Light ask, his tone making it obvious that he isn't immune to the painful hangover from the night before's drinking. Looking over to Meldalvyna, I see her face draw into a curious expression directed at me. With an apologetic expression, I tap my forehead, trying to tell her what was going on with me. With an expression that clearly said 'oh' &amp; a nod, Meldalvyna turns her attention to looking about the room.

"You don't know? I thought that you might know," I say back to Light, voicing one of my hopes to the resolution of this predicament, a chill running down my spine at the thought of Meldalvyna's angry mother &amp; what she might do to me if we _did_ do anything.

"_Why would I know that? I'm about as affected, if not worse, by alcohal as you are. I know about as much as to what happened as you do. I handle the morally correct things, not those things. Maybe Dark knows what happened_," Light suggests, dampening my hopes of finding out what happened slightly. Meldalvyna taps my shoulder, pulling my attention from my alters. With a distracted 'what' in my expression, I turn my face to hers to see a question evident on her face as well.

"Do your alters know what happened?" she asks, worry in her voice, the blankets still clutched to her chest.

"Light doesn't, but I haven't asked Dark yet, though I doubt he'll give me a clear answer though, I'm thinking we should check with other people first," I reply, a bit of my worry showing in my voice. With a grim nod, she turns her head away, only to seem to remember something quite important, a blush forming on her face as she turns her head back to me.

"Uh Jak... we still kinda need to get clothes on... &amp; all I have on are my panties," Meldalvyna stutters, her voice shy as the blush grows stronger &amp; brighter.

"Oh! Uhnn... I-uh, I'll go get dressed in the bathroom, you can get dressed in here... let me just... let me just get some clothes out," I say, realizing the second most important predicament we are in. Sliding out backwards so I don't end up pulling the blankets away from Meldalvyna, I get out of my bed &amp; walk over to my dresser, trying not to look back at Meldalvyna, feeling a fierce blush taking my face &amp; spreading to my ears, that &amp; also knowing all too well the numerous scars that lay on my back.

Picking out my clothes out of my dresser, I walk out of the bedroom, hearing the door close behind me, &amp; into the bathroom to get dressed. Once dressed, I comb my hair &amp; brush my teeth. Walking back towards my bedroom, I see the door to my room wide open &amp; walk into it, seeing Meldalvyna fully clothed in her outfit from the night before (save the jacket), combing her hair with her fingers, &amp; I can't help to lean on the door frame.

"You want any help with that? I'll let you use my comb," I suggest, making Meldalvyna's head snap in my direction in surprise. Sitting back up, I make my way back to my bed &amp; sit down next to her.

"I'm fine, thank you though," she replies, a friendly smile on her face. With a smile of my own &amp; a shake of my head, I gently grab one of her hands &amp; pull it away from her head. With a smile on my face, I stand &amp; retrieve my comb, coming back into the room holding it up for her to see with an insistent smile on my face as I sit down next to her.

"Fine then, I'll comb your hair then," I say softly, turning her shoulders so that her back faced me. With a look of slight protest, she reluctantly turns her head &amp; brings her fingers down &amp; away from her scalp. With gentle strokes &amp; a triumphant chuckle, I pull the comb through her extremely soft hair, careful of her horns &amp; neck spines, teasing each &amp; every knot out as gently as I could. With a smile a minute or so later, I set down the comb in my hand &amp; set the hand on her shoulder.

"All done," I say, gently turning her shoulders back to me. With a smile, she stands up &amp; gives me a hug.

"Do you have a spare toothbrush?" Meldalvyna asks, her smile turning into an inquisitive expression.

"I think so... I'll check after we eat breakfast, unless you want to check in with Cynder &amp; Torn first," I reply, forcing my voice to stay steady as the image of an angry Cynder pervades my mind.

"Okay. if you want, I'll call Torn. I have my comm. with me," Meldalvyna suggests, pulling the little device out of one of her pants' pockets. With a nod, I lead Meldalvyna to the kitchen as she opens her comm., leaving her to call the Freedom League Chief of Arms while I get out two bowls &amp; the yakow milk.

"Hey Jak, I have a message from Torn, can you do a quick read? It'll be easier," Meldalvyna says as I pull down a cereal I think she'll like, walking over to me. Quickly scanning the message, I get a small hint to as what happened last night.

"Meldalvyna, you &amp; Jak both have the day off today due to the amount I saw you two drink last night. I wouldn't be so surprised if you two woke up with a painful headache, take it easy - Freedom League Cheif of Arms Torn" the message reads &amp; I can't help but feel a small wave of relief.

"Torn just says that we have the day off because how much we drank last night &amp; to take it easy if we get hangovers. I know I have one," I say once finished reading the message, Meldalvyna nodding at what I tell her.

"Okay, have you talked... uh thought with Dark about what happened last night?" Meldalvyna asks, closing the comm. &amp; pushing it back into her pocket.

"No, he barely gives me a verbal answer. Most of the time he just replays what he saw... &amp; if we _did_ _do_ anything last night, I'm pretty sure I don't want to see us... ya' know, that &amp; he's still asleep," I reply, my voice shy as I rub the back of my neck. With a nodd, Meldalvyna comes to inspect her bowl &amp; pours the yakow milk into her bowl, dipping the spoon into the sodden cereal &amp; taking a bite.

Leaving Meldalvyna to her own devices, I pull out my communicator &amp; click on Daxter's number, hoping he'd have any information on what happened. Ringing for a few seconds, I hear Daxter pick up the line.

"Hey Jak, whaz up?" Daxter asks, his tone tired.

"Hey Dax... do you know what happened last night?" I ask as nonchalantely as I could, trying not to make it obvious that I had woken up next to Meldalvyna.

"OH MY GOD, IT WAS AWESOME! After Meldalvyna's second belly dance, ya two got t'gether &amp; started freakin' GRINDIN' ON THE DANCE FLOOR!" Daxter exlcaims, laughing at the end.

"We started grinding?!" I can't help but shout, causing Meldalvyna to jump &amp; eye me with a curious expression before returning to her cereal.

"_Please tell me we were drunk_," Light says pleadingly before Daxter can continue.

"Yeah, you two er quite the naugthy pair, yer dancin' made Keira jealous, 'specially when Meldalvyna started giving you a lap dance! Afta like, ten-twenty songs, you two got off the dance fler &amp; went fer one a dem booths. The party only lasted like ten more minutes, &amp; I found you two makin' out in the booth, trying to shove each other over onto your backs, &amp; I think Mel was winnin'! I had ta practically **_RIP_** you two apart beferr things got-"

"Dax! Who was the last person who saw us last night?" I interrupt with an embarassed shout before he can continue on with his overjoyed explanation of the events from the night before, feeling a blush form on my face, earning a curious glance from Meldalvyna in the process.

"Alright, alright! Torn, Jinx, Sig, &amp; I got you guys to yer apartment, but I was the very last ta see ya two, but I had ta leave as soon as we got'cha two to yer apartment, why?" Daxter asks, a bit of curiosity in his voice.

"Uh, no reason, I have to explain to Cynder why Mel didn't go home last night, I'm just hoping she'll understand," I lie, not wanting to get embarassed by Daxter over the communicator again.

"Okay, well, see ya," Daxter says before hanging up, &amp; as the line goes dead, I feel a much more worried than I had been before.

"So, what does Daxter know?" Meldalvyna asks as I put away my communicator &amp; pour the yakow milk into my own bowl, setting her own bowl &amp; spoon into the sink.

"He was the last person to see us, but he didn't follow us into the apartment, &amp; according to what he said... I have a feeling for the worse that we did actually have-"

"Don't say it! Please... just don't, I... I don't think I'd be ready to hear that we did _that_ last night without knowing for sure if we _did_. You're my boyfriend &amp; all, &amp; I _do_ like-like you in _that_ way and... and I'd like to know for sure if we did or didn't," Meldalvyna interrupts, starting off in a shout, only to quiet down into a saddened whisper as a series of silent tears run down her cheeks. The statement throws me for a loop, &amp; I can't help but stare at her in surprise. With a shake of my head, I set down my bowl &amp; pull her into a hug, resting my chin on her shoulder, a sad smile on my face. Meldalvyna meets the hug half-way, wrapping her arms tightly around my chest, the end of her tail lying limp on the floor &amp; her wings drooped so low they touch the ground. As I feel the front of my shirt getting wetter &amp; wetter from Meldalvyna's tears, the shakes of her shoulders &amp; the light sound of her distressed, body-racking sobs wakes Dark.

"**What's going on? Why is she crying? Jak, I swear, if you did anything to hurt her I'll**-"

"_She's crying because WE don't know what happened last night, &amp; so far, everything points to us, as you would say, 'de-flowering' her while she &amp; Jak were drunk last night_," Light growls, interrupting Dark before he could even state his threat.

"**Really? Jak, you know you could have just asked me what happened, I am the one in charge of watching all the '****_morally_****_bad'_**** stuff you do after all**," Dark says, returning his attention to me, his deep, sinister-sounding voice now carrying an edge of sympathy. Before I can reply to Dark's suggestion, Meldalvyna raises her head from my shoulder &amp; looks me in the eye, a look of determination on her face, though her normally cheerful green eyes are clouded with sorrow, her pupils dragon-like slits instead of her normal human-like circles.

"Jak, you said Dark remembers what happened last night, right?" she asks, looking into my eyes with searching curiosity, the slits growing thinner with the question.

"Yeah, he just woke up, do you want me to talk to him?" I reply with a question of my own, beginning to feel very much like something she'd hunt while staring into her eyes.

"No, I want to talk to him. I'll yank his head around by the horns if I have to," she replies with a threatening growl, her tone &amp; expression scaring the shit out of me, reminding me all-too well of Cynder's disapproving glares she used to give me before we came to an understanding.

"Hey, those horns are a part of my head too, you know," I say with a nervous laugh &amp; a smile, happy to see her no longer crying, as it broke my heart, but not exactly ecstatic to see her threatening to use my horns as a negotiation device either, placing a hand on my head as I speak for emphasis.

"Fine, I'll just give him a good few punches in the shoulder, not too hard for you, but DEFINATELY enough to leave a good bruise," Meldalvyna says with a giggle, her melancholy-fogged eyes beginning to clear up &amp; glimmer from the sunshine that is her happiness.

"Okay, just let me eat breakfast &amp; brush my teeth first, I can still taste some of the alcohal," I say, pulling out of the hug &amp; grabbing back up my bowl.

"You know, you still need to find a toothbrush for me, unless you plan on sharing," she says with a smile as I take a bite of my breakfast, the meal only just beginning to get soggy. With rushed bites, I finish off my cereal, wash both bowls &amp; spoons, &amp; hunt around the bathroom cabinets for another toothbrush after pulling Meldalvyna in behind me. A few minutes of searching later, I find a clean, still-in-the-package toothbrush. With a happy smile from the both of us, we brush our teeth together, &amp; I can't help but sneak some glances at Meldalvyna.

"You know, I kind'a like this image," I think to myself, "this is nice."

"_Yes, it is very pleasing. Though I wouldn't normally say this, but I wish this moment could last forever_," Light agrees, his tone soft &amp; peaceful.

"**Not for me, I'm about to get chewed out by our girlfriend, who, incase you didn't notice, looks a helluva-lot like Cynder when she gets angry**," Dark says, his tone slightly worried.

"Just tell her what happened, EXACTLY as it happened, &amp; I want you to tell me what happened after I come back to control if she doesn't in a shorter version," I say to Dark mentally as I lean forward &amp; spit out the toothpaste into the sink &amp; wipe away the foam from my lips, Meldalvyna following suit a second later. Rinsing off my toothbrush, I put it back into the little cup I hold it in, &amp; do the same with Meldalvyna's, earning a curious glance.

"Just incase you're around &amp; want to use it," I supply with a shrug &amp; a smile, Meldalvyna nodding in acceptance with my reasoning as we leave the bathroom &amp; go to sit on my couch.

"Quick question before we begin, why is your couch pinkish-brown mostly everywhere?" Meldalvyna asks not even a second after we sit down, looking at me with a curious smile &amp; barely audible chuckle, though visible in the slight bouncing of her shoulders.

"Its from the night you first told me your name. I had lyed down on it before I realized I was still coated in Metalhead blood, &amp; I couldn't get it all out," I say with a sheepish laugh, the answer making Meldalvyna grin with concealed laughter.

"Yeah, yeah... go ahead &amp; laugh at your boyfriend. Are you ready to talk with Dark yet?" I ask sarcastically, pulling a fake frown &amp; tone of exasperation.

"Yep, I'm ready, let him out," Meldalvyna replies with a nod, turning so she can face me. With a slow nod, I allow Dark to take over.

**Author's Note**: I know, I know, I suck! Sorry that it was so short, but I started typing this one a lot later than I should have, but hey, interesting cliff-hanger! The next chapter I'm pretty sure is going to be a Meldalvyna-only POV, so that should cover it. **Anyways, do you guys remember the little artistic proposition I gave in chapter 24? ****_Well, if you readers send in your drawing renditions of Meldalvyna &amp; Jak (they have to be together), I WILL TAKE (WHAT I THINK ANY WHO) THE BEST DRAWING &amp; USE IT AS _****_THE COVER-PHOTO FOR THIS STORY._** Anyways, see you guys next chapter!


	28. Dark Explains

**Author's Note:** Hello all of you! First off, I'd like to thank **IDRF** &amp; **Zero the fox **for the amazing reviews, together, they made me laugh SO F****IN' HARD! So yeah, I'd like to know if you guys liked the little competition I set up last chapter!

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

_**This is a MELDALVYNA'S POV ONLY!**_

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Yeah, yeah... go ahead &amp; laugh at your boyfriend. Are you ready to talk with Dark yet?" Jak asks sarcastically, a fake frown &amp; exhausted tone to his voice.

"Yep, I'm ready, let him out," I reply with a serious tone &amp; a nod, turning on the couch so I can face him.

With a nod of his own &amp; a deep breath, Jak closes his eyes, immediately begins to change. I watch as small arcs of bright, purple lightning crackle across his shoulders &amp; arms, bringing on the fleshy ripping &amp; hard snapping sounds that signals the unnaturally expedited growth of his muscles &amp; bones. As his muscles &amp; general size expand to fill his clothes, his skin &amp; hair turn to a grey like a week old corpse &amp; black horns push their way out of his scalp &amp; appear over his paling hair. Jak's nails grow &amp; sharpen into ten long, visibly sharp, obsidian-black claws as the sound of his breathing becomes deeper &amp; more like an animalistic growl. Finally, his eyes open to reveal Dark's signature jet-black orbs as he smiles, long, sharp fangs replacing his normal canines.

"**Why hello my lovely**," Darks says with what sounds like an attempt at a charming tone, distorted by his sinisterly deeper version of Jak's voice, the smile growing into a sideways smirk.

"Don't you 'lovely' me, Dark. You've got a lot of explaining to do about last night, so get on with it," I say with a growl, letting a deep frown form on my face, though inside I am flattered by his greeting.

"**How you hurt me so, I was **_**so**_** excited to be able to talk to you again, but I guess you are not as mutual**," Dark says with a tone of mock hurt, placing one of his clawed hands over his heart with a sad frown.

"I'll start feeling 'mutual' when you tell me what happened last night between Jak &amp; me," I retort with a snarl, leaning towards him with a slight growl to my voice.

"**Oh **_**FINE**_**, how much do you remember of last night?**" Dark asks with an exasperated gasp, obviously not wanting to get straight to business. With a second's pause of thought, it doesn't take me long to pick out the last thing I remember from the night before.

"I remember everything up to around three-quarters through the second belly dance," I reply, beginning to relax as Dark pulls back &amp; gains a thoughtful expression. After a few seconds of silence, Dark sits back up with a small grin on his face.

"**Okay, I know where we are now, I loved those belly dances. After that, you &amp; Jak started to dance, Jak effectively drunk, &amp; you two started grinding. THAT was definitely wonderful for me as well**," Dark pauses with a happy, reminiscent grin on his face, the tips of his fangs touching the top of his bottom lip making the grin look devilishly mischievous.

"What's grinding?" I ask, though having a terrible feeling it was something _very_ sexual.

"**It is a type of dance where you pretty much gracefully &amp; slowly air-hump each other with full body contact, &amp; it's much**," Dark replies, a devious grin on his face when he notices the blush blossoming on my face from his answer. Giving him a light punch on the shoulder, I motion for him to continue with my opposite hand, not trusting my voice to not squeak &amp; waver.

"**Well, a few songs later, I believe about five songs later, you pushed him onto one of the bar stools &amp; gave him quite a few lap dances, in all of which you were most definitely NOT shy. Approximately ten songs later, you &amp; Jak had made your way to one of the booths &amp; were making out, trying to shove each other over, &amp; I do believe you were winning the battle, but that was because Jak, though drunk, was thinking of your wings &amp; tail**," Dark says with a mischievous grin, pausing to chuckle toothily at my ever-blushing face. With yet another punch to his shoulder, I wave my hand about in a small, lazy circle, yet again not trusting my voice enough to speak.

"**Alright, alright, just quit hitting me, I know you are aware that not only are you striking me, but Jak as well... Anyhow, before anything could get... now don't you hit me... messy &amp; what you think happened last night, Daxter came in &amp; interrupted your fun**," Dark continues, now watching how close I held my closed fist to his person.

"Thank the Ancestors for Daxter, go on," I say with a relieved huff, dropping my head with an appreciative smile on my face, though I still felt like punching him for calling our drunken stupors 'fun'.

"**So, the party had apparently ended a few minutes before Daxter broke you two up. So Torn, Jinx, Sig, &amp; Dax all got us back to Jak's, Light's, &amp; I's apartment, all from Jak telling Daxter what Cynder said before you did your first dance. Daxter was the last person to see you two before you closed the door. More kissing ensued, which eventually led to the bedroom-**"

"Oh my Precursors! Tell me we didn't _do_ it!" I interrupt in a loud yell, nearly tackling Dark as I shout in a mix of horror &amp; worry, raising one of my fists into the air.

"**I was getting to that point. As I was saying... more kissing ensued, which eventually led to the bedroom. In there, things got... don't hit me... hot &amp; tense, &amp; you guys started getti - Ouch, let me finish dammit! I said STARTED getting undressed, but passed out on top of each other before anything could happen**," Dark says, ending in a deep breath, looking at me with a look of exhaustion. With a huge grin, I try to contain my ecstatic relief, but fail miserably.

"Ancestors &amp; great Precursors, thank you Dark!" I squeal as I tackle him into the arm of the couch, not holding back in the slightest, Dark shouting in surprise as I come into hard contact with him.

"**Jeez, didn't think you'd be **_**that**_** excited**," Dark laughs as he pushes himself up with me wrapped around his chest.

"You wouldn't believe how happy that made me feel, I can't wait to tell Jak the good news!" I say with an exultant smile as I pull myself up from his chest to sit in his lap. Dark simply raises an eyebrow, a large smile on his face as I can't help but bounce with my happiness.

"**Oh, I can believe it, but does Jak really have to come back right now**?" Dark asks with an expression that is somewhere between a grin &amp; an exaggerated pout.

"Oh c'mere you," I say with a smile as I take hold of both of his horns from behind, using the black, boney projections to pull his lips up to my own in a hasty, passionate kiss. Pulling back with a happy grin, I see Dark's face pulled into an expression of grinning surprise.

"**I could get used to that**," he says with a deep chuckle &amp; a large smirk, showing off his visibly sharp, snow white fangs usually hidden behind his gray lips.

"Well you'd better not," I say with a grin, earning a curious glance from Dark.

"**Why not**?" Dark asks, the curious expression leaking into his voice.

"Because it wouldn't be as great anymore if you did," I reply giving him another kiss to his, cold-yet-warm lips. I feel Dark's tongue enter my mouth as the kiss deepens, wrapping my fingers into his thick, gun-metal grey hair with both hands. Suddenly, Dark pulls away &amp; pushes me from his chest gently by my shoulders, upon which I had slowly pushed my own against without realizing it. With a sad groan, I pout at him, asking him with my eyes why he's pushing me away.

"**You still need to tell Jak what happened, &amp; we still need to go tell your parents &amp; double-step uncle why you didn't show up last night, &amp; just in case I have to, I want to save my energy to talk to your mother**," Dark answers my silent question after licking his lips, a disappointed smile on his face as well. With a nod, I get off his lap to give him space to change back into Jak.

"Okay, see you some time again," I say just before he allows Jak to have control again. Watching as the transformation that brought Dark into the physical reverses itself, I can't help but feel my excitement mounting as Jak returns from the psychological world that Dark originally comes from.

"Ow, my arm hurts, you must've punched him a lot," Jak says with a chuckle &amp; a small grimace, rolling the shoulder that I had punched while Dark was in control.

"Yeah, he made me blush a lot," I say, trying to sound sad &amp; worried, forcing a melancholy frown onto my face.

"What's wrong, did... did we?" Jak asks worriedly, standing up &amp; looking me in the eye.

"Nothing happened between us," I answer, still trying to sound upset, but a smirk still pushes through my facade. Not a millisecond later, Jak's eyes widen as a huge smile comes to his lips, surprising me with a hug that has the force of a full-speed tackle, squeezing my chest to his enough to make it hard to breathe.

"That's amazing! Why did we wake up like we did then?" Jak asks, a curious look in his eyes.

"Apparently, we _were_ about to start doing that, but we passed out before anything could happen!" I answer, looking into his blue eyes with a bright smile. His smile growing even larger than before as he returns to squeezing the wind out of me.

"So, I guess now we have to go explain this all to Cynder &amp; Spyro, don't we?" Jak says after pulling out of the hug, his ecstatic smile falling a little.

"Yeah, &amp; probably Sparx too. Dark offered to explain to them what happened for you, since he's the only one who really knows what happened," I reply with a nod &amp; a shrug off my shoulders, my smile falling into a half-frown.

"I don't know about that, I don't want your family thinking me as some sort of monster," Jak says, a lopsided, thoughtful grimace on his face as his eyebrows furl slightly in concentration.

"Both of my parents know that Dark &amp; Light are there, so I doubt they'll think you're a monster. Besides, Spyro'd probably sympathize with you, he's... not too different," I say with a supportive tone, pausing when it came to what I said about Spyro.

"Wait, he has a dark side too?" Jak asks, a surprised look in his eye.

"Yes, &amp; no. Yes, because he physically changes &amp; he becomes very dangerous. No, because it is _still him_," I reply, not looking at Jak the entire time.

"You should ask him about it sometime after this, I bet he'll know exactly what you mean, he's understanding like that," I say, a light tone to my voice as a barely visible smile comes to my lips.

"Alright," Jak says with a deep sigh, "go get your jacket, I just want to get this over with the smallest amount of injuries possible."

"Injuries?" I ask him, quirking an eyebrow at him in curiosity.

"I just have a bad feeling either Cynder is going to pummel me, or she's going to try to separate us," Jak replies, a sad smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I won't let her do either of those things," I say in return, grabbing his hand &amp; giving it a supportive squeeze. Letting go of his hand, I walk back into the bedroom &amp; grab my jacket, slipping it on before coming back into the living room.

"Ready to go?" Jak asks as I enter the sitting room of the apartment, already holding his zoomer &amp; apartment keys &amp; sporting his own jacket.

"Yeah, you ready to help me tell my parents what happened last night?" I ask in return as I pull up my hood.

"Yeah, I hope," Jak replies with a nervous chuckle as he opens the door for me &amp; I walk out.

"You'll be fine. Besides, if anyone gets pummeled, it'll be me, I _did_ start the entire problem anyway by dancing for you," I say with a forced smile &amp; a supportive tone, trying to prepare myself as well for the coming storm that will surely be my mother's plausible rage.

Closing the door behind us, Jak locks the entrance &amp; puts the keys to his apartment in his back pocket. Returning to my side, he wraps one of his hands around my own as we walk down the stairs &amp; outside. The bright sunlight hurts my eyes, hearing Jak hiss in pain from the bright sunlight as well. The next thing I notice is the near freezing chill in the air, huddling closer to Jak for some added warmth.

"You want to go to the Naughty Ottsel first to get something warm to drink?" Jak asks, his tone making it obvious that he REALLY didn't want to explain to Cynder why I didn't come home last night.

"No," I reply, "I want to get this over with as much as you do."

With a small sigh, Jak finds his zoomer &amp; helps me up onto it, getting on not even a second later. Immediately snuggling into his warm back &amp; resting my head on his shoulder, I watch as Jak starts the zoomer &amp; flips a small switch I hadn't noticed before.

"What does the switch do? I didn't notice that there before," I ask as Jak gets comfortable in the seat of the single-person zoomer, caught between the zoomer &amp; my stomach &amp; chest.

"You'll see, or rather _feel_ in a minute or two," Jak says, turning his head to me, revealing a small smile on his face. Lifting into the air &amp; taking off, I can't help but be curious as to what he meant. A few minutes of flight by zoomer towards the Haven City Forest &amp; Mountain Pass Lock, I realize what the switch is for.

"_Oh, it activates the seat-warmer!_" I think to myself happily, a smile coming onto my face as the heat of the seat spreads throughout my legs &amp; tail. Relaxing a bit more physically for the rest of the ride, my mind becomes even more stressed by what we are about to go through, &amp; what may happen once it's all over.

Not very long afterward, we pull up outside the lock, the late fall sunlight falling grey upon the thick metal door ominously, making my mental panic worse. After getting off the zoomer, we slowly walk hand in hand up to the door as it opens for us, the clanking sounds it makes only adding to the minacious feeling of dread to come.

As we walk through the door &amp; towards the secondary door, I look to Jak &amp; take a deep breath through my nose &amp; smell his anxiety coming off him in thick, near choking waves. As the door leading to the forest &amp; mountain pass opens, the sound of this door opening is just as menacing as the first. Walking through the door &amp; towards the warp gate, the sound of the lock thumping closed nearly makes me flinch, the sound making it feel like it was closing on our future as a couple. Going through the warp gate &amp; walking down the all too familiar path through the forest &amp; towards my house, the feeling of dread only grows with each slow step.

"_I wonder what Jak is thinking right now, he hasn't even glanced at me once in the past twenty minutes_," I think to myself when we reach what I guess is half way to my house, glancing at Jak out of the corner of my eye, trying to figure out if he is talking with his alters or just being silent from the tension.

"Hey Jak," I say quietly, earning a blank, acknowledging glance from him.

"Yes Mel," Jak responds after a second of silence, his tone devoid of emotion, matching his glance &amp; current scent, though the pace at which we walk does slow a little.

"I don't know why I'm bringing this up, but I kissed Dark when he told me nothing happened between us I was so happy. He pushed me away after the second one though," I say absent-mindedly, putting up an expression somewhere between a smile &amp; a grimace. Jak looks over to me with a curious smile on his face, his eyes gentle &amp; almost sad in their ocean colored shimmer.

"Huh, would've thought he'd try to keep you there," Jak says, looking back to the path ahead of us.

"I know, so did I. But when he pushed me away, he said that I needed to tell you what happened &amp; that he wanted to reserve his energy in case he has to do the explaining," I add, now looking back to the path as well.

"You know, I think I should just let Dark explain what happened if they ask for the full story. How did he tell you what happened? Did he give any... _comments_?" Jak asks, suggesting to any bawdy things Dark said.

"Yeah, but only a few. Mostly on what he felt about the situations we got ourselves into," I reply, effectively battling down a blush before it can come to my face.

"Okay, I'll just tell him to leave out his comments when he tells your parents what happened," Jak says with a nod. The rest of the walk comes in silence, the grim mood from before resetting itself upon us like a diseased cloud. Fifteen minutes later, the crumbling building that is my house comes into view from the trees. The face of the decrepit abode is lit up by the sun, giving it a cheerful yellow glow, but the windows are black with the awaiting tension to come inside, like black pits that swallow light whole, blacker than Dark's eyes, which twinkle in their obsidian shine when struck by light, unlike these soulless windows. Staring into these predatory eyes of this happy-faced edifice, I can almost physically feel all sense of hope drop from my heart to the unworthy dirt under my feet as I look into the house's gaze. Looking to Jak, I see a similar, hopelessness struck on his face, paled from their normal tan by fear of what is to come.

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I know, another short one, but hey, at least now you know that nothing detrimental to their relationship happened between Jak &amp; Meldalvyna! That &amp; I'm tired, it was 11:20 p.m. here when I finished typing this thing last night. Do you guys think I captured the serious mood in the beginning &amp; end well enough? I REALLY MUST KNOW! Anyways, as always, until next time! Please read &amp; review, tigerdj98 signing off!


	29. Telling Cynder

**Author's Note:** Hello all &amp; welcome to chapter 29 of _Of Two Worlds_! Now, before we get started here, I'd like to thank **Zero the fox **&amp; **IDRF** for the continued reviews &amp; keeping me inspired with your PMs, you guys are amazing! Sometimes, I don't feel like typing at all some days until I read the reviews &amp; pms you guys leave. Anyways, this one should, SHOULD be longer than the last two chapters, but no promises, 'cuz honestly I wing every chapter with only a base idea (which is based on the plot) to go off of (the plot is very evolved, it's the dialogue &amp; inbetween though).

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

The feeling of hopelessness slithers up my spine &amp; injects me with its snake-bite of fear, the poison of dread slowly seeping through my veins as I look into the blackened windows of Meldalvyna's home. Feeling all the blood drain from my face with the feeling of coming terror for my relationship, I look to my girlfriend for a gleem of hope, only to find a similar expression ridden in her expression as well, Meldalvyna looking back at me with the same fearful hoping in her eyes.

"_I know this isn't going to help, but this could be the last moments in our being Meldalvyna's boyfriend_," Light says, the statement sad &amp; making my nerves even worse than they already are.

"**Did you really need to make that observation obvious? I think it's hard enough on us dealing with this, &amp; we don't need you going &amp; making this worse**," Dark says with a half-spirited growl, though we all know it's true.

"You ready?" I ask her, forcing my voice to stay steady &amp; strong for her sake. Of all the situations I've been in, this one has by far been the most terrifying, &amp; the scary part hasn't even started yet. Meldalvyna nods, squeezing my hand with her own. Returning the show of affection by sqeezing her hand back, I bend my neck so that I face the ground, lifting my feet, one by one, walking in perfect time with Meldalvyna towards the door. A few feet before the door, Meldalvyna lets go of my hand &amp; opens the door, going through the portal &amp; holding it open with her tail as I pass through the doorway behind her.

My eyes adjusting to the dark room, I see Meldalvyna &amp; Cynder's eyes locked, a nervous expression on Meldalvyna's face &amp; an angry one on Cynder's, no one else in the room but us as I come to stand next to Meldalvyna. Cynder's eyes snap to mine, her grimace growing even larger when she locks eyes with me. Even from the distance we are apart &amp; the fact that she is lying down, I still feel as if she could be right ontop of me in less than a second.

"I see Meldalvyna had to stay over at your house last night, mind telling me why, _Jak_?" Cynder snaps, sneering when she reaches my name.

"We both became incapasitatingly intoxicated to the point where I had to be driven home by my friends, &amp; Meldalvyna with me," I reply flatly, not daring to lie in the slightest or remove my gaze from Cynder.

"Did anything happen between you &amp; my daughter in that time she was intoxicated?" Cynder asks with a menacing growl, her entire body tensing with the question.

"No, but we came close to that. Thankfully, we were both too exhausted from the party &amp; alcohol to have anything happen between us," I reply shakily, my steady-voiced facade cracking under Cynder's oppressive glare. Her eyes widen in shock as a deep growl of pure anger envelopes the room.

"It wasn't his fault, as I became inebriated, the music made me want to dance, &amp; I belly danced for Jak. Before a second belly dance was halfway finished, I was too drunk to remember what happened the rest of last night this morning, Jak does not remember much from last night either," Meldalvyna says before Cynder can start to yell.

"What do you mean he doesn't remember? How can he tell me nothing happened when he doesn't recall?!" Cynder yells, her gaze snapping to Meldalvyna with angry furiosity.

"Because earlier this morning, Dark, Jak's Dark Eco alter, told me personally what happened last night, &amp; then I told Jak what Dark told me," Meldalvyna answers steadily, her tone carrying a defensive growl to it.

"And how do I know that Dark didn't lie to you?" Cynder asks with venom in her voice, standing from her pile of pillows with her wrath, a deadly sneer on her face.

"Because I am a half-dragon, who just like you &amp; all other dragons, can tell by the scent he was giving off that he wasn't lying. You can ask Dark yourself if you don't believe me," Meldalvyna replies with anger &amp; hurt in her voice, her chest &amp; wings puffed defensively, her tail flicking, her eyes squinted &amp; her pupils slits like a dragon's. Cynder flinches at the response, seeming to realise an other, deeper meaning to what Meldalvyna says, some of her anger flying out of her as I swear I notice a note of sadness flash across Cynder's eyes.

"Perhaps I may. I'd like to know how much you two know first," Cynder says, laying back down, though the intensity of her tone never changes.

"Alright then. When we got to the party, Daxter's fiancée gave me a fruity alcohol, which I enjoyed drinking. By the second &amp; a half helping of the wine Tess provided me, I started belly dancing, &amp; about halfway through a second belly dance, my memory blurrs &amp; I can't remember anything else from last night," Meldalvyna says, her voice steady &amp; to-the-point.

"What do you remember, Jak?" Cynder asks, calmly turning her stare to me, though her eyes obviously tell me she isn't happy.

"To be honest, less than Meldalvyna does. To give the most I remember would be about a third into Meldalvyna's second belly dance," I reply, feeling my skin crawl in nervousness. With a sigh, Cynder lifts herself into a sitting position, the deep frown that had been on her face the entire time falling into an exhausted grimace.

"Meldalvyna, I see you're home, &amp; you've brought Jak... How was the party?" Spyro's voice asks, eminating from somewhere to my left. Snapping my head in the direction of his voice, I see the large purple dragon standing in the doorway to the hallway that, what I believe, leads to their bedroom, a nervous smile on his face directed at the both of us.

"Apparently so well that neither of them remember most of it, but Jak's Dark Eco alter does. I was just about to ask Jak to let Dark out so that he may tell me what happened," Cynder says before Meldalvyna or I can answer for ourselves, not even glancing in Spyro's direction.

"Oh... okay. I'm just... I'm just going to sit &amp; listen in, I guess," Spyro says, his nervous expression leaking into his voice as he walks over to his own pile of pillows &amp; sits, smiling at Meldalvyna &amp; I once seated. Grabbing my hand, Meldalvyna pulls me to the couch &amp; sits, pulling me to the cushions as well.

"_I do hope that you, Dark, keep the conversation proffesional_," Light says, his voice carrying the smallest hint of fear in its advising tone.

"**Believe me, I don't think we'd make it out alive if I DIDN'T make it proffessional**," Dark retorts, his deep voice laced with nervousness, &amp; I can't help but wonder exactly what happened last night, Dark or Meldalvyna still not having told me what happened last night to the full extent.

"Okay, just before I let Dark out, I need to let you know that... while I change, you'll hear a lot of ripping &amp; breaking, there WILL be Dark Eco lightning, &amp; Dark is easy to... anger," I say with a sad tone, directing my gaze downwards in shame. Feeling Meldalvyna squeeze my hand, I lift back up my head to see Spyro gently nod with encouragement &amp; Cynder lift her chin to tell me to get on with it.

"Are you ready?" I ask Dark mentally, my mind sad &amp; close to hopeless.

"**As ready as I'll ever be**," Dark replies, his tone matching my own.

"You'd better not screw this up for us, I don't want to lose Meldalvyna," I say, the thought of losing Meldalvyna making my heart clench.

"**I'd go insane if we lost Meldalvyna. I'm pretty sure life would look pretty bleak &amp; pointless without her... I don't know what I'd do without her honestly**," Dark says, a melancholy, wistful tone to his voice that rings my heart as true.

"I don't know what I'd do without her either," I agree, letting a sad smile take my lips. With a deep sigh &amp; one last sqeeze of Meldalvyna's hand, I allow Dark to take control of my body, the room going black as I lose all my senses to my Dark Eco counterpart.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"_I can't believe it, this might be the last moments of being Jak's girlfriend_," I think sadly to myself as I stare down my crumbling house, the disappointing thought making me want to cry.

"You ready?" Jak asks me, his voice strong &amp; steady, though I can tell he is forcing it, the scent of fear washing out of him in powerful waves. With a nod of my head, I squeeze his hand, trying to show some possibly last minute signs of affection. Squeezing my hand back, Jak drops his head &amp; we begin to walk towards the door of my house simultaneously. A few feet before the door, I release Jak's hand &amp; open the door, walking through while holding it open for Jak with my tail as he follows me through.

"_Definately no going back now, not that there WAS a going back to begin with_," I think to myself as Jak &amp; I walk through the short hallway leading into the living room &amp; into the den.

Turning to the left &amp; into the sitting area of the family room, I see my mother laying atop her pile of pillows. Her eyes snapping up to mine, we lock gazes, the tense, angry sparkle in Cynder's eyes &amp; deep frown making me feel nervous as she never leaves my look, even when Jak walks behind me to stand at my left side. Not even a second after Jak stops by my side, Cynder's furious gaze snaps to Jak, her entire head moving with the what should be tiny movement, her sneer deepening as she locks eyes with my boyfriend.

"I see Meldalvyna had to stay over at your house last night, mind telling me why, _Jak_?" Cynder snaps, sneering when she reaches his name. I can't help but jump a little in the sudden snap of tension in her voice as I literally see Jak twitch in fear.

"We both became incapasitatingly intoxicated to the point where I had to be driven home by my friends, &amp; Meldalvyna with me," Jak says flatly, telling the truth, no doubt fearing the consequences of telling the smallest lie.

"Did anything happen between you &amp; my daughter in that time she was intoxicated?" Cynder asks with a menacing growl, her entire body tensing with the question. Even from the distance between us, I can tell that it is taking all her patience &amp; strength not to stand in the furiosity of her anger.

"No, but we came close to that. Thankfully, we were both too exhausted from the party &amp; alcohol to have anything happen between us," Jak replies shakily, his steady voice cracking under my mother's scornful gaze.

"_It's not his fault, it was me... It's not his fault, IT WAS ME,_" I think to myself in a panic as I see Cynder's eyes widen with shock &amp; the scent of anger filling the room as she lets out a deep growl of pure rage, opening her mouth in preparation to give Jak Hell with scorn &amp; no doubt some death threats.

"It wasn't his fault, as I became inebriated, the music made me want to dance, &amp; I belly danced for Jak. Before a second belly dance was halfway finished, I was too drunk to remember what happened the rest of last night this morning, Jak does not remember much from last night either," I say before my mother can yell at Jak, using all my strength not to scream myself in his defence.

"What do you mean he doesn't remember? How can he tell me nothing happened when he doesn't recall?!" Cynder yells, her gaze snapping to me with terrifying wrath.

"Because earlier this morning, Dark, Jak's Dark Eco alter, told me personally what happened last night, &amp; then I told Jak what Dark told me," I reply steadily, though my voice still carries the edge of an angry growl to it.

"And how do I know that Dark didn't lie to you?" Cynder asks with venom in her voice, standing from her pile of pillows with her wrath, a deadly sneer on her face. The question makes me want to scream &amp; rake my claws across her face as I feel the scales bristle down my spine.

"_How can she ask me that?! I'm a half-dragon, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm disabled, or that I can't do what other full-blood dragons can! She KNOWS that I can do what other full-blood dragons can do, she KNOWS that at some things I'm better than full-blood dragons at what they do, she KNOWS it hurts me when I hear that_," I think angrily to myself as I try to collect my fury, though I can barely contain any more.

"Because I am a half-dragon, who just like you &amp; all other dragons, can tell by the scent he was giving off that he wasn't lying. You can ask Dark yourself if you don't believe me," I reply angrily, trying not to break down in tears as I feel my chest &amp; wings puff &amp; my tail flick subconsciously in anger, recalling Dark's offer of help. Cynder flinches at the response, realising what I meant by the first part of my answer, a flash of sadness sparkling in her eyes in what I hope is understanding, the scent of her anger becoming less intense.

"Perhaps I may. I'd like to know how much you two know first," Cynder says, laying back down, though the intensity of her tone never changes.

"Alright then. When we got to the party, Daxter's fiancée gave me a fruity alcohol, which I enjoyed drinking. By the second &amp; a half helping of the wine Tess provided me, I started belly dancing, &amp; about three-quarters through a second belly dance, my memory blurrs &amp; I can't remember anything else from last night," I say, my voice returning to a steady &amp; to-the-point tone, realizing that I had won some small battle with my mother, her lying down being her tiny sign of submission.

"What do you remember, Jak?" Cynder asks, calmly turning her stare to Jak, though her eyes obviously say she isn't happy.

"To be honest, less than Meldalvyna does. To give the most I remember would be about halfway into Meldalvyna's second belly dance," Jak replies, &amp; I can smell his nervousness in the air in small waves, definately much less than it had been before. With a sigh, Cynder lifts herself into a sitting position, the deep frown that had been on her face the entire time falling into an exhausted grimace. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Spyro standing in the hallway that leads to his &amp; my mother's bedroom.

"Meldalvyna, I see you're home, &amp; you've brought Jak... How was the party?" my step-father asks, a nervous, sympathetic smile on his face directed at Jak &amp; me, Jak's head snapping in his direction, not having seen Spyro enter the room.

"Apparently so well that neither of them remember most of it, but Jak's Dark Eco alter does. I was just about to ask Jak to let Dark out so that he may tell me what happened," Cynder says before Jak or I can answer for ourselves, not even glancing in Spyro's direction.

"Oh... okay. I'm just... I'm just going to sit &amp; listen in, I guess," Spyro says, his nervous expression leaking into his voice as he walks over to his own pile of pillows &amp; sits, smiling at Jak &amp; I once seated. Grabbing his hand, I pull Jak over to the couch &amp; sit, pulling him to the seat next to me in the process.

"_Please Dark, don't be too descriptive like you were with me. Cynder will kill you if you even MENTION how much you enjoyed yourself last night_," I think to myself nervously, trying to warn Dark, though I knew he couldn't &amp; wouldn't hear my advice. A long pause of tense silence envelopes the room as I watch Jak's face, his expressions suggesting he was talking with Dark or Light, though more than likely Dark, his countenance sad with the smallest speck of melancholy hope.

"Okay, just before I let Dark out, I need to let you know that... while I change, you'll hear a lot of ripping &amp; breaking, there WILL be Dark Eco lightning, &amp; Dark is easy to... anger," Jak says sadly as he drops his gaze downward, the scent of shame coming from him. Squeezing his hand with sympathy, Jak looks back up &amp; at Spyro &amp; Cynder. Looking to them myself, I see Spyro nod supportively, my mother lifting the end of her lopsided-pyramid shaped snout, silently telling his to get going with the transformation.

Looking back to Jak, I see the same strange facial expressions take his face, only to be replaced by a sad smile, Jak squeezing my hand as he lets out a deep, preporational sigh. As he releases his tension on my hand, the room seems to fill with the static feeling of Jak's transformation into Dark, the sounds of the change now almost familiar to me as I listen to the cracks &amp; rips of flesh &amp; bone, watching as he grows in height &amp; muscle mass, horns bursting from his quickly greying hair above his speedily paling brow, &amp; nails turning to wicked black claws, his eyes remaining closed the entire time. In my peripheral, I notice Cynder's &amp; Spyro's faces pull into an expression of shock at Jak's release of control to Dark, the scent of their mounting fear slowly filling the room, though very light &amp; barely noticeable.

"**No need to be afraid of me, Cynder &amp; Spyro. I'm not going to hurt you**," Dark says after a small, visible sniff with a smile that shows off his fangs &amp; his eyes still closed, his deep voice causing my mother &amp; step-father to flinch. Dark snaps open his eyes in an sudden, hard flick, staring down (I think) my parents, the toothy grin never leaving his gray lips. Standing from his seat next to me, Dark walks to Spyro &amp; thrusts out his hand, a gentler smile now taking his lips.

"**Spyro, it is **_**so**_** nice to finally meet you, I hope I did not frighten you too much**," Dark says after the purple dragon warily takes his hand &amp; shakes it, his voice gentle even though how sinister it sounds.

"Uh, nice to meet you too... Dark... you didn't get me that much, it's just quite a shock to see such a large change that is also so small. I mean you look like Jak, but you don't at the same time... Sorry, I'm rambling," Spyro says while releasing Dark's hand, warily watching his long, sharp claws as they exit his paw. With a light laugh that says he didn't mind Spyro's rambling, Dark turns his attention to Cynder, yet again holding out his hand for her to take.

"**Cynder, it is quite the **_**pleasure**_** to meet you. I did not frighten you either, I hope**," Dark says softly as he takes my mother's paw, bending over at the waist &amp; kissing the back of her forepaw with a gentlemanly air &amp; a soft grin, the position of his eyelids telling me he was looking directly into Cynder's eyes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Dark, only a little did you surprise me, &amp; I must say this now that flattery will _not_ get you _anywhere_, though I am quite flattered at your... _gentleness_," Cynder says, a small smile on her face as Dark releases her paw.

"**Oh, I know quite well that flattery will get me nowhere, as you've said that upon meeting Daxter, I just thought it appropriate for the meeting of my dear Meldalvyna's mother. I do believe the cliche saying 'don't judge a book by it's cover' would be quite appropriate for my case. You wanted to ask me about the occurances of last night**?" Dark asks as he returns to my side on the couch, the gentleman-like air still about him.

"Yes, please tell us as much as you know, exactly as you know it, about last night, both during &amp; after the party," Cynder replies with a nod, a straight face taking her expression.

"**All right. As you know already from Meldalvyna, Tess gave both Jak &amp; Meldalvyna alcohol, &amp; provided the drinks throughout the night. After Meldalvyna's third helping of wine, Jak having drank the last half of her second glass, Meldalvyna began to belly dance, there were only two belly dances, though**," Dark begins, stopping to take a breath &amp; watching for signs of understanding from Spyro &amp; Cynder. Receiving nods from them, Dark takes a deep breath &amp; adjusts his position in his seat.

"**After the second belly dance, the two were effectively drunk, &amp; the party's music style changed to that of a more... moving...beat, &amp; they both initiated a type of dance known as grinding. A few songs later, they stopped that dance &amp; Meldalvyna, quite drunk I remind you, gave Jak a few lap dances on a bar stool**," Dark pauses, taking another breath.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Cynder give me a small glare when the lap dances are mentioned &amp; Spyro giving a small, strange half-smile. "_Thank the Ancestors she doesn't know what grinding is_," I think to myself, sighing audibley in my thankfullness.

"**After a few more songs &amp; dances, Jak &amp; Meldalvyna had made their way to one of the booths in the bar &amp; kissed, until Daxter came &amp; pulled them apart when he found them, which was a few minutes after the party had ended. Chief of Arms Torn, Jinx, &amp; King of Spargus Sig brought Jak home &amp; Meldalvyna to his... err, our apartment**," Dark stalls, allowing the information to sink into my mother &amp; step-father, only to continue when they nod a second later.

"What happened _in _the apartment, Dark?" Spyro asks gently, the strange smile still on his face.

"**I was preparing to get to that. **_**In**_** the apartment, they continued to kiss, &amp; I KNOW this will sound bad, until they reached Jak's bedroom... where they had climbed on the bed while getting undressed**-"

"You &amp; Jak _MATED_?!" Cynder asks me screaming while standing in surprised wrath, interrupting Dark before he could finish, Spyro's eyes full of pure shock &amp; what looked like disappointment.

"**NO, **_**no**_**, no! I didn't finish yet! While getting undressed &amp; **_**about**_** to... well you know... they passed out before anything **_**could**_** happen**," Dark finishes, answering my mother's angry question hastily for me, raising his hands in the air &amp; shaking them defensively side to side.

"So, Jak &amp; Meldalvyna were about to, but they passed out, from what?" Spyro asks, a slightly disbelieving tone to his voice.

"**From both the alcohol &amp; the exhaustion of the day &amp; party**," Dark replies gently, now dropping his hands back down to his lap. Spyro &amp; Cynder look to each other, the strange smile returning to Spyro's face &amp; a scornful question in Cynder's eyes. After a few seconds of tense silence, an agreement seems to be reached to an unvoiced arguement between them, the both of them smiling with their answer.

"_Please say that we can stay together, please say that we can stay together_," I think to myself, repeating it over &amp; over hopefully as Cynder turns her smile to Dark &amp; me.

"Now, under normal circumstances, I _do_ believe we would've reached a conculsion that you two wouldn't have liked..." Spyro begins, the strange smile becoming even larger as he turns to my mother, tipping his snout up to her, motioning her to finish.

"But, since you &amp; Jak were drunk at the time of the party &amp; directly afterwards, &amp; obviously would have regretted going through with your late-night, intoxicated passions... among other things of course... we have come to the conclusion to allow two to stay together, but under one condition first," Cynder says, a devious smile coming to her lips, I curious look overtaking Spyro's &amp; Dark's faces.

"What would that be?" I ask, eager to get back to being Jak's (&amp; of course Light's &amp; Dark's) girlfriend, ecstatic with the lucky revelations so far.

"Dark, can you still listen in to the conversation while Jak is in control?" Cynder asks, the devious smile growing slightly larger as her teeth begin to show behind her lips, slowly rising to a sitting position.

"**Yes, may I ask why, though**?" Dark answers with a question of his own one of his grey eyebrows raised in question.

"Of course, don't you think Jak &amp;... Light... would like to know the good news?" Cynder answers, her smile becoming a bit more toothy &amp; in a full sitting position. With his mouth in an 'Oh' shape, Dark nods his head &amp; stands, earning a curious glance from everyone in the room but me as I stand &amp; walk infront of him, wanting to be the first thing Jak sees when he gains control.

"**I have a tendency to lose control of the Eco lightning when I release my control back to Jak or to Light**," Dark provides, earning an understanding nod from my parents. The transformation from Dark to Jak is much faster than the change of Jak to Dark, &amp; much less painful sounding. As soon as he opens his eyes &amp; I see Jak's familiar deep blue irises, I can't help but smile.

**Jak's POV**

What feels like waking from a deep sleep, I regain control of my body from Dark &amp; open my eyes, I find myself looking into Meldalvyna's eyes, a bright, cheerful smile taking her lips &amp; glittering in her dark forest green eyes.

"I'm guessing good news?" I ask hopefully with a happy smile on my face, even though I could tell as I looked around the room that Dark's explanation in Meldalvyna's &amp; my defence was a success. With a happy giggle &amp; a small bounce, Meldalvyna pulls me in a tight hug, wrapping her tail around both of my legs. As I hug her, I look to Cynder to see a strange look on her face that is a mixture of surprise &amp; concern before Meldalvyna pulls away &amp; blocks my view of Cynder's face again before I can figure out the meaning of the expression.

"Yes! They both said we can stay together, but my mother has one condition though," Meldalvyna says the ecstatic smile never leaving her face as she steps to the side, letting me see her mother again.

"Huh, that weird look is gone, I wonder what it meant," I think to myself curiously as I notice the surprised/concerned look Cynder had replaced by a devious looking grin.

"_I don't know, but according to WHERE she was looking, I'd say it has to do with Meldalvyna wrapping her tail around our legs when she hugged us_," Light suggests, his tone thoughtful.

"That might be it, but I don't think Cynder'll like it if I asked her what it meant, I think I'll ask Spyro... no, SPARX later, he seems the safest one to ask," I say mentally back, deciding to ask at least one person in the house what it meant.

"So, mother, what is your one condition?" Meldalvyna asks curiously, grasping one of my hands in hers in her happiness. Cynder's devious grin pulls back into a full-on devilish, toothy smile, &amp; I can't help but feel like I'm about to be in yet another awkward situation with a still very frightening Cynder in the room.

"My one condition is," Cynder begins, pausing to laugh evilly, the sound sending freezing chills down my spine, "I want to see my daughter kiss her boyfriend, _right NOW_."

The entire room seems to freeze as I feel blood immediately rush to my face &amp; ears, noticing Spyro's jaw drop in surprise, &amp; watch as Meldalvyna begins to stutter &amp; her face turn a bright lavendar in her darker version of a blush.

"Wh-wh-WHAT? Why?" Meldalvyna asks, her embarassed blush reaching her voice as it shakes in disbelief. Another evil smile takes Cynder's face, but this one seemed to have a deeper purpose than the first as she lowers her head so we can stare her in the eyes.

"I want you, my young lady, to prove how much you like this boy... neigh... how much you like this _young man_. That, &amp; I want to see if my instincts are correct," Cynder replies, the last portion of her answer sounding more cryptic than the ancient Precursor language.

"What are your instincts telling you that'd have to do with me &amp; Jak kissing?" Meldalvyna asks curiously while crossing her arms over her chest, a fierce blush still haunting her cheeks.

"Oh, only things a mother would know the true meaning of, if they are correct of course," Meldalvyna's mother replies with a secretive smile &amp; a happy tone, her reply just as enigmatic the last reply from her. With a sigh of defeat &amp; a confused glare, Meldalvyna turns to me, her blush growing as she takes a skiddish step forward.

"Shy to show your affection for your boyfriend infront of your parents? I could get out some wine if it'll help," Cynder teases, a huge, taunting grin on her face, earning an embarassed growl from Meldalvyna as she takes another sheepish step towards me, making the blood rush to my face &amp; ears even faster.

The tease, though, seems to do the trick for the both of us, causing us to wrap around each other &amp; burry ourselves in a deep kiss, all in the feeling of defiant rebellion &amp; trying to prove ourselves to the superior power that is Meldalvyna's mother. As we kiss, I feel Meldalvyna's tail begin to snake its way around my left leg, squeezing my calf in three tight coils. Opening my eyes as we end the kiss &amp; pull away from each other, I see Meldalvyna's wings puffed slightly, looking as if they were about to try to wrap around the both of us. With a defiant &amp; triumphant flourish, Meldalvyna whips back around to face Cynder, an exultant, sneering smile on her face &amp; a simple, devious one on my own.

"There. So, were your _instincts_ correct?" Meldalvyna asks with a small, slighting laugh, some of her feisty smile reaching her voice.

"They were... You two can go do whatever you like, you know where to find us," Cynder says with a gentle, dismissive tone, getting up &amp; walking down the hallway leading to where I believe her &amp; Spyro's bedroom is. Looking to Spyro, who is still sitting on his pile of pillows, I notice a curious smile on his face as he looks at Meldalvyna.

"I'm guessing you had that outfit made for her by one of your friends, Jak?" Spyro asks, turning his head face me, a large, friendly smile on his face.

"Yeah, she chose the colors &amp; the general design. I like the way it looks on her," I reply with a light grin, earning a small, blushing smile from Meldalvyna. Meldalvyna stands &amp; walks into the kitchen, leaving me alone in the room with her step-father, the smile still on her face, followed by the sound of glasses being moved around &amp; a sink being turned on.

"You know, I noticed that you saw Cynder watching you hug. I'm guessing you're curious as to why she was giving you that strange look?" Spyro asks after a second of silence, a gentle smile on his face.

"Oh, yeah. Do you mind if I ask you a question?" I ask, changing my plan of asking Sparx about the tail-thing.

"Sure, shoot," Spyro answers, shrugging one of his large shoulders.

**Author's Note:** YAY FOR AWKWARD MOMENTS! So that chapter was REALLY long... let's just hope I didn't do a weird sentence drop-off like I did last chapter 0.o... Funny thing, I was listening to the Jak X Combat Racing OST while typing a lot of this chapter, &amp; I played a little bit of Jak 2 as well (about two missions, I got at a mission I got stuck on &amp; turned it off before I could fling the controller at the tv)! But yeah, I hope you guys liked the chapter &amp; the little cliff-hanger! Also, one last thing before I go... **JAKAN!** Please read &amp; review, tigerdj98 signing off!


	30. A Simple Question

**Author's Note:** Hello all, &amp; welcome to yet another chapter belonging to this _particular_ corner of ! I am so sorry for being late, I started typing late again, &amp; I had other events that affected my normal typing time. Anyways, I honestly don't have much to say this time, besides a thank you to IDRF for the continued PM conversations &amp; reviews, &amp; Zero the fox for the continued reviews! Also, before I give the required ownerships, I'd like to give some major kudos to my friend **IDRF &amp; his story "Slow Fight to Insanity"**,if you guys like this story, I bet you'll like this one (especially if you're familiar with the anime &amp; manga Black Lagoon)! Before I go, **THERE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL SHOULD KNOW AT THE BOTTOM!**

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Yeah, she chose the colors &amp; the general design. I like the way it looks on her," Jak says to Spyro while turning his face to me, a light grin spread across his lips, his flirtacious compliment making me blush with a shy smile. Standing, I walk into the kitchen &amp; get into the cabinets for two glasses, the smile still on my face.

"_I wonder why mom wanted to see us kiss... she said she wanted to check something_," I ponder to myself as I turn on the kitchen faucet, &amp; begin filling up the first glass with ice cold water. Turning, I see Spyro talking to Jak, his voice a low, inaudible murmur, an almost teasing grin on his face. Bringing my attention back to the now full glass, I switch off the water &amp; bring the set the cup on the counter &amp; pick up the second one, bringing it up to the mouth of the faucet.

"_I bet those two are going to be great friends... but still, what did she want to check when Jak &amp; I kissed? The only thing I can think of is... oh the Ancestors, my tail... &amp; my wings... they were... &amp; that means... oh Precursors!_" I panic mentally, finally realizing what Cynder was checking, whipping my gaze back over to Spyro &amp; Jak, nearly dropping the glass in the process.

As I turn, I see Jak rubbing the back of his neck with a small blush building on his cheeks, an obvious sign that he is embarassed, his lips moving, but I can't hear what he says. Spyro's eyes widen with surprise, &amp; I whip around, fearing his gaze to flick to me &amp; realize I was trying to listen in. Cautiously turning back to the two, leaving the water running with no glass under the stream to catch the cold liquid, I see Spyro talking, a small, barely visible embarassed, gentle grin spread across his purple muzzle.

Only a few inaudible words later, Spyro nods his head in my direction &amp; I whip back around, blasting the water so I can quickly fill the second &amp; final glass. Hearing my step-father stand &amp; walk into the hallway leading to his bedroom behind me, I collect myself &amp; grab the two cups of water. Turning &amp; walking into the living room, I sit down next to Jak, handing him one of the cups of water.

"So, uh, what did you &amp; Spyro talk about?" I ask him after he takes a sip from his drink. Jak rests the bottom of the glass on his leg as he turns to face me, the scent of his embarassment barely noticeable as it wafts through the air.

"Stuff... I asked him a couple of questions is all, &amp; he gave me a somewhat direct answer to each... he did say I should probably ask you the same questions though," Jak says, his tone almost nervous as he again begins to rub the back of his neck.

"What do you want to ask me?" I ask shyly, even though I have the feeling that I could guess what his question is going to be about. Jak takes a deep breath as a light blush takes his cheek &amp; he scratches his lower lip with his teeth.

"Uh... uhn... what is this glass made out of?" Jak asks while lifting his cup up to eye level, obviously trying to desperately change the subject.

"Jak, don't change the subject. You can ask me anything," I say softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying my best to sound like I didn't notice his nervous behaviour.

"I was going to ask... I... I was going to ask about what the whole tail wrapping thing means," Jak says, letting his gaze drift down to his knees, his blush becoming a bit darker.

"_I knew it... this is going to be hard... what will he think when I tell him what it means_?" I think to myself nervously once I hear what he had asked Spyro.

"And what did Spyro tell you?" I ask him, trying to keep out any signs of embarassment or shyness out of my voice, placing the hand I had on his shoulder on his leg. Jak looks back up to me, a small, forced smile taking his lips.

"His exact words were that it's a sign of deep affection... which I guess means something deeper than what we have right now. After that, I told him that I noticed your wings had puffed a little when we kissed, &amp; asked about that too," Jak replies, his gaze never leaving my eyes.

"_Oh man, this is going to be so HARD... how am I going to do this, especially with my parents around_?" I ask myself mentally, taking a deep breath to try to clear my nerves.

"And what did he tell you then?" I ask, trying my best not to twitch my tail or fidget, dreading to have to answer his questions later.

"He said it's another deep sign of affection, but much more significant than the tail-wrapping thing," Jak answers, setting his hand on top of mine. Taking another deep breath, a sudden idea comes to mind that makes me smile a little.

"You wanna continue this conversation at the pond out back?" I ask him with a light grin, the suggestion making him raise an eyebrow as an answer.

"What, do you really want my parents, Sparx, &amp; Hunter to chance walking in on my explanation to you of what those two things mean?" I ask him while tipping my head at him a little, a triumphant smirk on my face. With an expression that clearly spells 'realization of possible awkward situations', Jak chugs down the rest of his water, almost seeming to leap from the couch &amp; walks into the kitchen to drop off his glass as I follow suit.

Walking outside, the bright light &amp; cold, fall air reminds me of my light hangover, earning a small grimace to fall on my lips. Behind me I hear Jak hiss in pain. Turning, I see Jak holding a hand over his brows in an attempt to sheild out some of the sunlight.

"Should've brought a damn pair of sunglasses," Jak says with a forced smile &amp; a light chuckle when he notices me looking at him with a slightly worried expression.

"Would've thought that Dark would help with a hangover," I say in return, a smile spreading on my lips with my tease as we begin our walk to the pond. Jak's eyes dart to mine as a small, genuine grin forms on his face, a deep chuckle rumbling lightly in the air as he shakes his head. Once the pond comes in view, I pull Jak over to a stone bench both Spyro &amp; Cynder had helped me build, large &amp; strong enough to hold Terridor if he ever decides to visit. Jak stops dead in his tracks just infront of the gargantuan bench as I sit down on the large thing.

"That's one hell of a bench," Jak says, eyeing the huge seat before turning to sit on it.

"It took me, my mother, &amp; Spyro to build it... it's built to support the largest living dragon we know," I say with a smile as Jak turns to me, running the smooth stone surface underneath one of my hands.

"Damn, that's a lot of heavy stone then... who's the largest living dragon you know?" Jak asks, still trying to hold off the conversation we still need to finish.

"He is Warfang's Cheif of Arms, &amp; his name is Terridor. He's the dragon that taught my step-dad how to use his Earth Element," I reply, smiling at the memories of playing with Terridor when I was little while staring at the stone bench.

"But that's not why we're here. So, which one do you want to hear the answer to first... the awkward one, or the extremely awkward one?" I ask before Jak could get me to continue my explanation of the dragons I know.

"Uh... what's the question that's the least awkward answer? I think that might be a good start-off," Jak asks, his brows bent downward in worried confusion.

"The tail question," I reply with a sigh, looking into the pond water as the air between us takes on an uneasy electricity.

"Then that one," Jak says while scooting closer to me, placing one of his hands over mine. Only allowing enough time to smile a thanks, I flick my gaze to Jak, &amp; back to the surface of the water, concentrating too hard on not blushing at what I'm about to say to look at him.

"In the dragon world, a female dragon wrapping her tail around the tail of a male means... it means she loves him, enough to never want to leave his side... but it can also be just an intense physical attraction to the male," I say, resisting the urge to look at Jak, dreading a fearing expression to be on his face.

"So my leg is acting like the male's tail... which one is it then? Do you love me, or do you just find me attractive?" Jak asks, his tone curious &amp; hopeful, his scent suggesting a bit of fear. I can't help but tense at the question, though I knew the answer in my heart.

"Both, the tail wrapping means both," I answer after a second of tense silence, changing my gaze from the pond to his knees, still refusing to look into his eyes. The scent of relief &amp; happiness immediately seems to fill the air as I feel myself being pulled abruptly into a tight hug, the rumbling of Jak's relieved laughter shaking my skull against his chest. Lifting my head from his chest when he releases, I finally look to his face to see a huge, toothy smile spread across his lips &amp; an ecstatic glimmer in his eyes.

"I truely realized that I love you before I turned into Dark, but I felt love towards you for a while now... I was just scared to find out if you felt the same way... I guess we were a both bit scared, right?" Jak asks, the smile still on his face.

"Yes, but I think I completely realized it when I went into the kitchen to get you that glass of water," I reply sheepishly, Jak's smile seeming to widen with my response, silently telling me that it was okay.

"_I shouldn't have a problem telling him the answer to the next question since I love him, but it is_," I think to myself, &amp; I can't help but think about the scare we had earlier this morning.

"Now, I know with what happened this morning, &amp; that I love you, it is still hard to answer your next question," I begin, looking to Jak.

"I think after what you told me earlier this morning, I'm pretty sure I... no... WE can handle it," Jak says, grabbing my hand &amp; squeezing it lightly.

"I know, but admitting it is still hard," I say with a deep sigh, turning my gaze back to the pond's surface.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'll still be a little curious," Jak says, making me feel a little bit better about answering his question.

"I'm still going to tell you... I just hope it won't change our current relationship. When a female dragon stretches her wings &amp; encloses a male dragon in her wings, like a hug almost, it means...it means that she is willing to give her... purity... to him, even if it is a subconcious happening. What I did was the beginning of that, which means she is beginning to feel willing," I say, not looking at Jak again, too embarassed to look him in the eye while revealing what the answer to his second question is.

"Holy shit... so I guess what you did would be like a guy getting an... well, you know," Jak says shyly, his assumption making me whip my gaze back to him with a disgusted grimace, only for it to fall to a laughing, disbelieving smile.

"Yeah, I guess it would," I laugh, giving his shoulder a light, playful punch. Lifting my legs up onto the gargantuan bench &amp; sliding off my combat boots, I spin around so that I face Jak, only to lay down &amp; prop up my feet on his legs, my arms acting like my pillow.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it... So, what do you want to do? We have the rest of the day to recover from our hangovers, it looks like you're already through with yours," Jak says as I feel his hands glide over the tops of my feet, making me lift my head to make sure he wasn't going to try to mess with the bottoms of my feet.

"I don't know... I've seen Dark two times in a row, so I'm guessing Light will want to see me soon... what are you doing to my toes?" I ask with a light giggle, watching Jak as he pushes on each of my toes, forcing them to curl.

"I can see the tips of the claws, &amp; I know you can retract them, I'm just trying to get them to extend so I can look at them," Jak replies, pushing on another toe. With a smile &amp; a shake of my head, I sit up onto my elbows &amp; watch him yet again attempt to get my claws to become unsheathed.

"Move your fingers &amp; watch out, they're sharp," I say with a smirk as I wiggle my foot. To my success, Jak moves his hands away from my feet. For effect, I extend my claws one at a time on the foot he was messing with.

"Wow... those are some scary-ass claws, so... I was listening, but what did you say about Light &amp; Dark?" Jak asks, lightly tracing the outer curve of one of my claws with a finger.

"What I said was that I've seen Dark two times in a row, so I'm guessing Light will want to see me soon... but I didn't get to finish because you started messing around with my toes," I reply with a teasing tone, sitting back up &amp; retracting my claws while pulling my feet underneath me, earning a small 'hey' from Jak.

"Light is okay for right now, he's not making any points that he wants control right now, but he did want me to remind you that you have yet to train him in flight," Jak says with a shrug. I nod lightly, now completely at a loss for finding what to do. A smirk comes to my face as I get an evil idea, &amp; I scoot up close to Jak, making it look as if I'm going to rest against his chest.

"Wait, what's that smile fo-" Jak just barely manages to ask just before I shove him over onto his back. I immediately move to pin him in a frog-like position, a dangerous, playful smile on my face as I stare down at him from my all fours position over him, his eyes full of surprise.

"Mel, what are you doing?" Jak asks, his tone curious &amp; a little nervous, flexing his arms as he tries to remove them from the grip I have around his wrists.

"Oh come on, you're a world famous hero, are you seriously going to let yourself get pinned by someone like me?" I ask teasingly, feeling him try to get his ankles out from under my feet &amp; his knees to straighten from being pinned underneath my own. With a smirk, he tries to push his chest upwards, &amp; I immediately counter with my tail, pushing him back down &amp; holding him there with the flexible appendage, earning a small, thoughtful growl from Jak.

**Jak's POV**

"Now don't take this the wrong way, but... what does it mean when Meldalvyna wraps her tail around my leg?" I ask Spyro nervously, rubbing the back of my neck with a shy blush starting like a fire in my cheeks. Spyro's eyes widen with surprise, his head turning slightly to look at Meldalvyna, whose back is to the room, the sound of running water seeming to echo in the room. Looking back to me, his shocked expression falls to a gentle, embarassed, light smile.

"Well, I guess it's good that you asked instead of going to try to find out the hard way," he begins, the awkward smile on his face still stuck to his face.

"The hard way?" I ask with a small, unintentional waver to my voice, not sure what he means just yet.

"Getting your leg, or if you were a dragon, your tail squeezed in half. It's a sign that means she has a deep feeling of affection towards you. But honestly, I think you should ask Meldalvyna what it means, it is a _female_ sign of attraction," Spyro says, his head lowering just a little so the conversation is contained between us better.

"Oh, okay then... but, what does the wing-puffing thing mean then?" I ask, my tone again sheepish as I again begin to rub the back of my neck. Again, Spyro's eyes widen with embarassed shock, followed by the bashful smile, a vibrant violet blush forming on his cheeks with the question. Again, he turns his gaze to Meldalvyna, checking to see if she was trying to eavesdrop.

"It's just like the tail-wrapping... but it's a deeper sign of affection than that, _much_ deeper... Like I said, you should ask Meldalvyna, it's a _female_ thing, not male," the purple dragon responds, nodding his head towards Meldalvyna, the loud sound of water running into a glass filling the room.

"_I have a feeling that he may want us to hear it from Meldalvyna instead of from him, not that he doesn't know the full extent of it like he was suggesting_," Light says, his thoughtful suggestion making sense to me. With a mental 'yeah' to Light, I return my attention to Spyro, only to see him walking away &amp; into the same hall Cynder had gone down, Meldalvyna coming into the living room from the kitchen, two tall glasses filled with water in her hands. Sitting down next to me, she hands me one of the glasses.

"So, uh, what did you &amp; Spyro talk about?" Meldalvyna asks as I take a sip from the crystalin cup. The question makes a nervous spark run up my spine as I rest the bottom of the glass on my leg, turning my head to face her, trying to appear fine, though I know she can tell otherwise.

"Stuff... I asked him a couple of questions is all, &amp; he gave me a somewhat direct answer to each... he did say I should probably ask you the same questions though," I reply, trying my best not to sound anxious while I rub the back of my neck.

"What do you want to ask me?" she asks with a shy tone, looking at me with seemingly genuine curiousity.

"_Ask gently, we don't want to make her nervous... I'm not really helping either of us, am I_?" Light asks with a sense hopeless, his normally all-knowing voice falling short of it's advising tone. Taking a deep breath, I bite at my lower lip, trying to get over my own uneasiness.

"Uh... uhn... what is this glass made out of?" I ask, lifting the glass to my eye level to inspect the slightly yellow-tinted crystal, hoping that a change of subject will make her forget that Spyro &amp; I ever talked.

"Jak, don't change the subject. You can ask me anything," Meldalvyna says softly, placing a hand on my shoulder, trying to convince me to tell her.

"I was going to ask... I... I was going to ask about what the whole tail wrapping thing means," I say, my gaze dropping down to my knees, feeling my blush getting brighter.

"And what did Spyro tell you?" Meldalvyna asks softly, moving her hand from my shoulder to my leg, getting me to look at her. Looking into her eyes, I force a smile as I remember what Spyro told me a few minutes ago.

"His exact words were that it's a sign of deep affection... which I guess means something deeper than what we have right now. After that, I told him that I noticed your wings had puffed a little when we kissed, &amp; asked about that too," I reply, staring into her green eyes, forcing myself to not shy out.

"And what did he tell you then?" Meldalvyna asks after taking a deep breath, as if she was trying to steady herself, the look in her eye telling me she doesn't like where the conversation is going.

"_I wouldn't blame her for being nervous, they must mean something rather significant_," Light says, also noticing the uneasy gleam in her eyes.

"He said it's another deep sign of affection, but much more significant than the tail-wrapping thing," I answer, placing my hand ontop of hers. Meldalvyna takes another deep breath only for a smile to come to her face.

"You wanna continue this conversation at the pond out back?" she asks, the smile turning into a light grin. I can't help but raise an eyebrow at her, wondering why she wanted to change location so suddenly.

"What, do you really want my parents, Sparx, &amp; Hunter to chance walking in on my explanation to you of what those two things mean?" Meldalvyna asks with a triumphant smirk, tipping her horned head towards me for emphasis.

"_That would definitely be hard to explain, especially if Cynder walked in_," Light says, seeming to amuse the thought in an small feeling of horror. As the implications from both Meldalvyna &amp; Light hit me like a ton of bricks, I immediately chug down the rest of my water, stand, &amp; walk into the kitchen, dropping the glass off on the counter next to the sink. Meldalvyna follows suit, leading the way outside &amp; into the cold fall air, the bright sunlight making my hangover come back in full force. I can't help letting out a hiss of pain as the sunlight seems to pierce through my skull &amp; into my brain. Lifting a hand to my eyebrows, I try to sheild out the eye-burning sunlight.

"Should've brought a damn pair of sunglasses," I say with a forced smile &amp; a light chuckle when I notice Meldalvyna staring at me, a look of worry spread across her midnight-colored skin.

"Would've thought that Dark would help with a hangover," Meldalvyna says, her tone teasing as a smirk spreads across her lips. I can't help but look at her with a bit of surprise, only to laugh a little &amp; shake my head.

"_Dark probably would help with that, if he wasn't asleep right now that is_," Light says, his tone carrying a bit of a smile to it itself. Once the pond comes into view, Meldalvyna grabs my hand &amp; pulls me behind her, leading me to the largest bench I have ever seen in my life, the pure size of it causing me to stop dead in my tracks as she goes to sit on the gargantuan stone seat.

"That's one hell of a bench," I say in awe as I eye the gargantuan bench before I too sit down on the bench.

"It took me, my mother, &amp; Spyro to build it... it's built to support the largest living dragon we know," Meldalvyna says with a smile as I turn a little to face her, running her hand over the smooth stone surface.

"Damn, that's a lot of heavy stone then... who's the largest living dragon you know?" I ask her, trying to stall a little longer.

"He is Warfang's Cheif of Arms, &amp; his name is Terridor. He's the dragon that taught my step-dad how to use his Earth Element," Meldalvyna replies, smiling at the stone surface of the bench, "But that's not why we're here. So, which one do you want to hear the answer to first... the awkward one, or the extremely awkward one?"

"Uh... what's the question that's the least awkward answer? I think that might be a good start-off," I ask, confusion &amp; a pang of worry trickling down my spine.

"The tail question," Meldalvyna replies with a sigh, turning her attention to the pond's surface.

"Then that one," I say as I scoot a little closer to Meldalvyna, setting a hand over hers. Meldalvyna flicks her gaze at me, a thankful smile flashing over her lips before she returns her attention to the pond water.

"In the dragon world, a female dragon wrapping her tail around the tail of a male means... it means she loves him, enough to never want to leave his side... but it can also be just an intense physical attraction to the male," Meldalvyna says, her gaze still pointed at the pond.

"She loves me... Precursors, she loves me! Wait, wait, wait, she said that it could be just a physical attraction too though," I think to myself, my heart nearly skipping a beat in joy, only for it to be drowned by the latter half of Meldalvyna's explanation for tail-wrapping.

"So my leg is acting like the male's tail... which one is it then? Do you love me, or do you just find me attractive?" I ask, curious as to what her answer is, hoping it to be the first, but fearing it being the latter. Meldalvyna tenses at the question, the air arround us seeming to carry an electric charge.

"Both, the tail wrapping means both," Meldalvyna replies after a second of intense silence, her gaze going from the pond to my knees. The revelation makes my heart feel like it's going to explode from joy as I immediately pull Meldalvyna into a tight hug, a relieved, ecstatic laugh bursting uncontrollably from my throat. When I release my grip, Meldalvyna lifts her head from my chest, &amp; I stare into her beautiful eyes, the sunlight glimmering in them no longer hurting my head as I smile at her.

"I truely realized that I love you before I turned into Dark, but I felt love towards you for a while now... I was just scared to find out if you felt the same way... I guess we were a both bit scared, right?" I ask her happily, forcing down the urge to kiss her in my exultance.

"Yes, but I think I completely realized it when I went into the kitchen to get you that glass of water," Meldalvyna replies sheepishly, making it harder for me to not kiss her then &amp; there. I smile even wider, telling her silently that I had no problem with that, as long as she felt the same.

"Now, I know with what happened this morning, &amp; that I love you, it is still hard to answer your next question," Meldalvyna says, her eyes searching my face for something.

"I think after what you told me earlier this morning, I'm pretty sure I... no... WE can handle it," I say, grabbing her hand &amp; giving it a little squeeze of reassurance.

"I know, but admitting it is still hard," Meldalvyna says with a stressed sigh, her eyes leaving my face to stare at the pond's surface again.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'll still be a little curious," I say, not wanting to stress her out, but still wanting to know what it meant.

"I'm still going to tell you... I just hope it won't change our current relationship. When a female dragon stretches her wings &amp; encloses a male dragon in her wings, like a hug almost, it means...it means that she is willing to give her... purity... to him, even if it is a subconcious happening. What I did was the beginning of that, which means she is beginning to feel willing," Meldalvyna says, her gaze focused intensly on the pond's surface.

"_So that's what she truely meant earlier this morning, I knew there was something more to it, but I never suspected it to reach that far_," Light says with a slightly astonished tone, her revelation hitting me just as hard as it does him.

"No wonder she felt uncomfertable answering that one, that's hard to admit," I think to myself as the initial surprise wears off, though it is still very strong.

"Holy shit... so I guess what you did would be like a guy getting an... well, you know," I say shyly after a second, not wanting to make matters worse with a bad relation, but still wanting to lighten the mood. Meldalvyna whips her eyes back to me, a look of disgust on her face, only for it to break down into a disbelieving, laughing smile not even a second later.

"Yeah, I guess it would," Meldalvyna laughs, giving my shoulder a light, playful punch. Lifting her legs onto the bench &amp; sliding off her combat boots, Meldalvyna turns to face me, only to lay down, propping her feet up on my lap, using her arms as a pillow.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it... So, what do you want to do? We have the rest of the day to recover from our hangovers, it looks like you're already through with yours," I say as I slide my hand over the top of her foot, making her lift her head, as if to make sure I wasn't going to do anything to her feet.

"I don't know... I've seen Dark two times in a row, so I'm guessing Light will want to see me soon... what are you doing to my toes?" Meldalvyna asks with a giggle, watching me as I push on each of her toes, trying to get the claws to extend, only for them to curl with each attempt.

"I can see the tips of the claws, &amp; I know you can retract them, I'm just trying to get them to extend so I can look at them," I reply as I press on another toe, my curiousity getting the better of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Meldalvyna smile &amp; shake her head, sitting up to prop herself up on her elbows to watch me as I press on yet another toe.

"Move your fingers &amp; watch out, they're sharp," she says with a smirk as she wiggles her foot. Releasing her foot, I watch as Meldalvyna extends each claw one at a time, the claws wickedly curved &amp; serrated on each side, the serrations facing the tips of the claws.

"Wow... those are some scary-ass claws, so... I was listening, but what did you say about Light &amp; Dark?" I ask as I lightly trace the outer curve of one of her claws, following the flow of the serrations so I don't get cut.

"What I said was that I've seen Dark two times in a row, so I'm guessing Light will want to see me soon... but I didn't get to finish because you started messing around with my toes," Meldalvyna replies with a teasing tone as she retracts her claws as she sits up &amp; pulls her feet beneath her, a plaintive 'hey' escaping my throat in protest.

"_I am fine for now, but please remind her that she said she'd teach me how to fly properly_," Light says after I ask him if he'd like to gain control.

"Light is okay for right now, he's not making any points that he wants control right now, but he did want me to remind you that you have yet to train him in flight," I say with a shrug. Meldalvyna nods slightly, her expression thoughtful. After a second, a smile spreads across her face as she scoots closer to me, like she is going to rest against my chest. When she is only a few inches away, I notice a devilish grin replace her kind one, the smirk making a spark run down my spine, the expression WAY to reminiscent of Cynder's to feel comfertable around.

"Wait, what's that smile fo-" I barely manage to ask, Meldalvyna shoving me onto my back before I can finish my sentence. As soon as my back hits the stone, Meldalvyna dives ontop of me, her hands pushing on my wrists next to my head, her knees holding down my knees, &amp; her feet forcing down my ankles, pinning me in a frog-like position, my legs splayed. I look up at her in surprise, a dangerous, playful smile spread across her lips as she stares back down at me.

"What if her parents come, or Sparx, or Hunter? What will they think if they see this?" I think to myself worriedly, successfully fighting the urge to turn my head to look for them.

"Mel, what are you doing?" I ask her, curious as to what she was trying to do, but still warey of what she is trying to accomplish at the same time. I flex my arms, trying to throw her grip from around my wrists, only to find my attempts completely unsuccessful.

"Oh come on, you're a world famous hero, are you seriously going to let yourself get pinned by someone like me?" Meldalvyna asks teasingly as I try to straighten my legs &amp; bend my knees, both attempts just as unsuccessful as my try with my arms. Realizing that I could move my middle, I shove my chest upwards with a smirk, thinking I can throw her off that way. Meldalvyna's tail flashes around her side &amp; strikes down my chest, forcing my chest down in a coil over my ribs. Realizing my plan is vanquished, I let out a thoughtful growl, observing where she had me pinned.

"Oh, nice try... but no, that won't work," Meldalvyna teases with a smirk of her own, dropping her head to kiss me on the chin with her taunt. With a sarcastic laugh, I look at my wrists, then to my chest, &amp; lift my head to look at my knees &amp; ankles, coming up with a plan on how to throw her off when I realize all of her weight was set ontop of me, none of her limbs holding onto the bench.

"No, but this will," I say with a smile, flinging my entire left side towards the right side of the bench, effectively throwing Meldalvyna off me &amp; onto the bench next to me, using her wings to roll into a standing position on all four. As soon as she's off me, I get into a squat, preparing myself for dodging a possible tackle.

"Oh, now you're in for it, _love_," Meldalvyna says with a dangerous tone, her wings whipping open as she lowers her chest closer to the stone bench. I don't even have time to react as she leaps at me, her hands grabbing me around my sides &amp; her feet clasping around my hips, pounding her wings to lift us both into the air. Flying over to the center of the pond, Meldalvyna smirks at me evilly.

"Oh shit, is she going to do what I think she is?" I think to myself as she raises us both higher &amp; higher over the center of the pond, which is no doubt the deepest point. With an evil laugh, Meldalvyna kisses my cheek before wrapping her arms, legs, &amp; tail around my body, snapping her wings shut, sending us into a free fall towards the water, tucking her head into the crook to my neck as we plummet towards the pond's surface.

**Author's Note: **Yay for awkward boyfriend-girlfriend questions (&amp; not to mention moments)! I hope you guys liked the cliff-hanger also, I thought it was time for them to just play around a little! Anyways, **MY PARENTS MIGHT BE INITIATING A NEW RULE WHERE MY BROTHER &amp; I CAN ONLY GET ON ELECTRONICS EVERY OTHER WEEK. **THIS MEANS THAT CHAPTER POSTING COULD BE HINDERED, &amp; IF INSTALLED, WILL BE CHANGED. **If this does happen, I will post whenever possible.** Let's hope it doesn't happen, cross your fingers! Anyways, sorry for posting late, &amp; please review (it makes me happy to hear from you guys)! tigerdj98 signing out!


	31. A Cold, Wet Day at Home

**Author's Note:** Hello all &amp; welcome to another chapter of this little story here. I honestly don't have much to say this time, so here are the proper ownerships:

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

Wait wait wait, before we begin, read this! **WARNING, JAK'S POV CONTAINS ****2**** GOREY EXPLANATIONS! **Other than that, LET THE STORY COMMENCE!

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Oh, now you're in for it, _love_," I say with a dangerous tone, flashing my wings open as I lower my chest close to the bench, Jak squating infront of me, readying himself for an attack. Not giving him time to figure out what I am about to do, I lunge at him, grabbing him beneath the armpits with my hands &amp; around his hips with my feet. Flapping my wings as hard as I can, I rocket the two of us into the air &amp; over the pond.

Knowing the pond's depth at its center is large enough for Terridor to dive head first into without even the slightest chance of touching the bottom, I lift us a good thirty-five feet above the middle of the ovular pond before smirking evilly at Jak. Getting a worried look from Jak after he looks to the pond's surface, I grin even wider as I lift us another good ten feet. With an evil laugh, I kiss Jak on the cheek, wrapping my arms, legs, &amp; tail around his body. Snapping my wings shut, I nuzzle my face into the bend of his neck &amp; shoulder, knowing that we'd end up going in head first. As we plummet closer to the water, I realize the very **stupid** mistake I've just made for the both of us.

"_It's the final days of November, this morning was near freezing, &amp; winter is just barely around the corner, this water is gonna be so COLD_!" I think to myself just before we hit, the realization coming too late to stop. As we come in contact with the frigid water head first, I feel all the warmth in me flee into the water except for where I'm touching Jak.

When our dissent into the cold pond slows to a stop, I open my eyes to see Jak already on the move, swimming towards the surface in record speed. Following suit, I catch up to Jak, nudging him with one of my wings to get his attention. Pausing his assention, Jak looks at me with curiousity spelled clearly on his face. Motioning him to get closer, I grab his hands &amp; set them on my shoulders so that he can float behind me. Looking to him, I squeeze his hands over my shoulders, trying to tell him to hang on as I open my wings. With a nod, I feel his grip tighten on my shoulders &amp; his chest touch my back below my wings as I ready myself. With one final look, I pound my wings as hard as I can, launching us towards the surface as fast as I can without ripping a hole in my wings, the sudden speed surprising Jak by the way his grip tensed over my shoulders. Again breaking the pond's surface, I immediately shiver as the cold November air hits my wet skin, Jak swimming on the surface next to me, one of his hands still holding my shoulder.

"I guess that was what I was in for... good one, but I'm going to get you back one day when it's cold out too, just so you know," Jak says with a smirk, his lips a bluish tint as I see him visibly shiver.

"I completely forgot that it's fall right now, so it was a surprise for the both of us. Let's get inside, because I am FREEZING," I say sheepishly, beginning my swim to the shore, Jak following suit behind me. Once at the shore, I drag Jak out as we both break into a shivering sprint towards the front of the house. Opening the front door, I find myself slamming into the large, golden-yellow chest of my stepfather.

"Woah, what's the rush? And why are you two soaked?" Spyro asks, a scaly eyebrow raised at us, wiping the spot where I ran straight into his chest dry with one of his paws.

"We had gone out back so that Meldalvyna could answer those questions more comfortably, &amp; after that, we got to messing around, &amp; it ended with us both diving into the pond head-first," Jak replies before I could answer, earning a smile from the purple dragon.

"Well that explains it. You two get inside, I'll start a fire so you two can dry off in comfort," Spyro says, pushing us inside with a single front leg, following us into the den area of the main room of the house. Running inside &amp; down the hall into the bathroom, I grab two towels, one for me &amp; the other for Jak, though they were both my own towels. Returning to the living room, I hand Jak his towel &amp; pull him to the floor a few feet away from the fire pit.

"So Jak, have you seen Meldalvyna use any of her Elements?" Spyro asks, coming to a stop on the other side of the stone pit. Jak pauses, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he looks into my eyes, searching me for answers.

"I remember the day that Meldalvyna &amp; Daxter first met, I'm pretty sure she used her Wind Element to put out a small fire she had started," Jak replies, looking back to Spyro with a question as to why in his eyes after I nod at him.

"The reason I ask is that I am going to use my Fire Element to start the fire, &amp; I didn't want to surprise you," Spyro says with a smile, picking up on the silent question, sitting down himself. With an understanding nod from Jak, Spyro takes in a deep breath only to release it in a blaze of orange flame, the logs catching fire as soon as the heat of the flame comes into contact with the dry wood. Jak's eyes widen in awe as he watches the jet of fire exit my stepfather's maw.

"I'm guessing you'll be staying for lunch, since it is already midday?" Spyro asks, smiling when Jak continues to stare at him in astonishment, the expression on his face nearly making me laugh it looked so foreign.

"Oh, uh, sure... as long as I'm not intruding," Jak says, moving to stand up only to be motioned to stay where he is by the purple dragon. Spyro walks into the kitchen with a smile &amp; immediately starts getting into the many cupboards, drawers, &amp; into the fridge, which is powered by his Electricity &amp; Ice Elements, pulling together a few sandwiches.

"_Please, please don't get out the MetalHead meat, please don't_," I think hopefully, watching my stepfather closely, repeating the thought over &amp; over again. To my horror, I watch as Spyro reaches into one of the drawers in the magic-powered fridge, pulling out a few chunks of precooked Metalmeat, placing the on one slice of each sandwich, closing them all a second later.

"Do you need help with those?" Jak asks, standing up from his seat next to me.

"Oh, yes please, if it's not too much of a bother with you being wet," Spyro replies with a thankful smile as Jak stands, grabbing two of the plates once he reaches the counter. Sitting back down at my side, Jak hands me one of the plates. Before I can stop him, Jak takes a large bite from his sandwich. Chewing for a second, Jak pauses &amp; looks at the sandwich, a slight curious look on his face before shrugging it off with a smile &amp; taking another bite off of the sandwich.

"It seems you're enjoying it, Jak," Spyro says with a smile, sitting down on his pile of pillows with his own sandwich. With a sheepish grin, Jak nods as he chews another bite from the sandwich.

"What type of meat is this? It's good," Jak asks after he swallows his mouth full, putting his sandwich down onto his plate with the question.

"Now, do not be alarmed, but it is leftover MetalHead meat from a roast we had a few nights ago," Spyro replies with a gentle grin, taking a bite out of his own, larger-scale sandwich. Jak's eyes widen as he looks at his sandwich, then back up to the purple dragon. After a second of tense silence, Jak's surprised expression falls into a strange smile.

"You know, back when it was me &amp; Dark during our first few days in the streets of Haven City, I might have been appalled, no offense, but now... I don't think I could find a better tasting meat," Jak says, the strange smile still on his face as he takes another bite from the sandwich, this one larger than the others.

"Glad that you enjoy it, because I think Meldalvyna was fearing a different reaction than the one you gave it, she hasn't touched her meal yet in her worry for you," my stepfather says, looking at me with a knowing smile.

"Believe me Meldalvyna when I say this, but I've done things I'm not proud of, either in my control or in Dark's, &amp; he's not proud of it either... but when you're starving, you'll eat anything. But this, this is delicious &amp; I don't have to feel shameful about it either" Jak says, his eyes dark in some memory, his tone trying to cheer me up &amp; getting me to stop worrying, the scent of shame rolling up from him.

"_What has he eaten that's made him so afraid to tell me, what things has he &amp; Dark done_?" I think to myself as I force a smile, taking a bite from my own sandwich to try to hide the falseness of the smile. With a smile of his own, Jak returns to his food, finishing off the sandwich in a few more bites.

"What have you done that's so terrible? It can't be that bad, can it?" Spyro asks curiously, his happy smile leaking into his voice. Jak looks between my stepfather &amp; me, a sad, cautious look on his face &amp; in his eyes.

"I've done many bad things, some things I can share with little worry around you two, especially you, Spyro, since you've fought in wars since you were little, but some things, I can't share with anyone, not even Daxter, &amp; I've known him for longer than I can remember," Jak says with a single, slow shake of his head, his eyes downcast at his hands. After a second, Jak shakes his head again a bit more vigorously &amp; wipes his hands on his pants, as if wiping off something only he could see.

"I've done things I am not proud of either, Jak, &amp; I know you told Cynder about your past, I'd just like to know as well. I've killed hundreds other living creatures at the small age of ten going into eleven, I've killed hundreds more living creatures at the age of eleven going into twelve, though some were living in their decomposing bodies &amp; others were ghosts, &amp; I've killed another dragon at the age of fifteen. Care to tell us some of yours?" my stepfather asks softly with a gentle smile, trying to use his history in order to persuade Jak to tell us some of his.

"Fine... but I'm warning you, I'm not going to go into detail about what I said about starving earlier. Before I came into Haven City, I hadn't directly killed anyone or anything before. Sure, I had punched things until they passed out, or they fell off something &amp; didn't get back up, but never had I beat something to death. The closest ever I had gotten to directly killing someone was my battle against Gol &amp; Maia, Dark Eco Sages that happened to be siblings, but I had launched a ball of Light Eco at them, &amp; their Precursor robot had fallen into a Dark Eco silo, which is what killed them," Jak says with a deep breath, ready to continue, though I could tell he didn't want to.

"And when you came to Haven City?" I ask gently, setting a hand on his shoulder. Jak looks at me, a flash of a smile going across his face, only for it to fall into a sad frown.

"Once in Haven City though, everything changed. I don't know if you knew about this, Mel, but my first two years in Haven City were spent in a prison getting tortured by Dark Eco, just for crash-landing in the cursed place. The day Daxter helped me escape, I gained Dark, &amp; he almost killed Daxter as soon as I saw him, &amp; along the way out, I beat every guard down until they were foaming blood out of their mouths. All I wanted to do was kill Baron Praxis &amp; Erol any way I could with my own hands, &amp; the Underground was my way to them. I couldn't tell you just how many Krimzon Guards I've punched, kicked, &amp; shot to death, or how many I've willing let Dark take control &amp; rip to shreds for me," Jak answers, his gaze having fallen to his lap, eyes dark with remorse, the scent of shame coming off in smothering waves so thick I can almost choke on them.

"That is the cost of war, Jak. Bad things that we wish we never have to go through again happen all the time during war," Spyro says with a comforting tone, though his posture clearly shows he was being stern &amp; trying to make a point.

"I know, but... people said that every once in a while, they would catch me smiling as I killed someone... &amp; a year later in Spargus, the same year I got Light &amp; the Dark Makers attacked, apparently I had gained the seemingly innate ability to break people's arms in such a way where it'd pierce their hearts or lungs without having to look or think. That, &amp; Dark was much more... brutal &amp; careless when it came to what he was killing when he was still relatively new," Jak says, his tone becoming angry, though his scent turning sad &amp; desperate, trying to make it clear to us without being overly-detailed.

"I have done similar things, but the reason _I_ would smile when I killed something was either the relief that I made it out of the fight ALIVE, or that I KNEW that I had brought a bit of hope &amp; peace to the area," Spyro says in retaliation, trying to get Jak to see his point.

"That may be you, but I... you know what, I'm just going to say how TERRIBLE one of Dark's attacks has gotten before, &amp; I know he's going to be angry with me for saying this infront of you two, especially you Meldalvyna... but, I've woken up from his control after going without food for three days nose deep in a Krimzon Guard's chest on my hands &amp; knees, a mouthful of the guy's lungs between my teeth... &amp; not just once either... apparently it had happened multiple times, but Dark before-hand had cleaned his face &amp; FINISHED what he had been eating before I gained control back," Jak says, the scent he was giving off matching his angry tone, though in his eyes I can see a bit of sadness, a deep desperateness, mixed with a fearful dread that couldn't be matched.

"_He's... he's eaten his own kind before... that's what he was scared of telling me_," I realize, the horror of the revelation hitting me like a ton of bricks. I can't help but stare at him in surprise, not expecting anything as bad as that.

"_But he was starving, so Dark took care of it... I, I can't blame him for that... what do I do_?" I think to myself as I drop the remainder of my sandwich back onto my plate, knowing I wouldn't be able to eat the rest now.

**Jak's POV**

"**What the HELL are you thinking**?!" Dark yells at me in the back of my mind, furious at the thought that just went through my mind, his tone carrying an edge of fear with it.

"_Jak, you don't need to prove yourself, what if Meldalvyna can't handle the truth_?" Light asks, trying to advise against my idea, his voice also carrying a hint of fear.

"I'm going to go through with it, &amp; if she can't... if she can't handle it, then I'll stay away from her for a while until I can look her in the eyes again," I retort to them both mentally, ready to accept the consequences.

"That may be you, but I... you know what, I'm just going to say how worse one of Dark's attacks has gotten before, &amp; I know he's going to be angry with me for saying this infront of you two, especially you Meldalvyna... but, I've woken up from his control after going without food for three days nose deep in a Krimzon Guard's chest on my hands &amp; knees, a mouthful of the guy's lungs between my teeth... &amp; not just once either... apparently it had happened multiple times, but Dark before-hand had cleaned his face &amp; FINISHED what he had been eating before I gained control back," I say angrily to Spyro, not daring to look at Meldalvyna as I speak, fearing an expression of horror to be spread across her face when I DO look at her.

"**I swear, if you just fucked up our relationship with Meldalvyna, I will KILL everyone else important to you, including Daxter**," Dark threatens, a no-bullshit tone to his voice so serious it sends shivers down my spine.

"_Dark, there is nothing that will heal this if Jak did just, as you said "fuck things up" with our love_," Light says, though his tone obviously said he is angry, he was giving both Dark &amp; me a warning.

"That... that _is_ worse than I could ever expect. I am sorry for pushing you into telling us about your hardships... Mel, dear, what's wrong?" the purple dragon asks, his attention fading from me to Meldalvyna, a worried look on his face. Looking to Meldalvyna, my heart drops when I see her staring at me, a look of disgust &amp; fear on her face, but her eyes catch me off guard. Her eyes are sad, glittering with sympathy as she looks into my eyes.

"Mel... I... I knew I had to tell you at some point, but I-"

"Jak, it's okay. Sure, it scares me a little to know that you've done that, but like you said, you were STARVING for Ancestor's sake, &amp; Dark took care of it for you... maybe he tried to clean up before you gained back control for YOUR sake, so you wouldn't have to feel guilt," Meldalvyna interrupts, placing one of her hands on my shoulder, a sad smile on her face to match the sympathetic look in her eyes. With a thankful smile, I drop my head to her shoulder &amp; burry my face in her hair, holding in the extreme melancholy joy I am feeling, wrapping an arm around her waist &amp; pulling her closer to me, holding her there.

"Thank you, Mel. I love you," I whisper into her neck just barely loud enough for her to hear. A light, silent chuckle shakes her shoulders &amp; sides.

"Love you too, Jak," she whispers in my ear as I sit back up, a small smile spreading across my face. A smile is already claiming her lips when I look at her, &amp; I scoot closer to her so I can comfortably rest my arm around her waist &amp; share our warmth infront of the fire.

"**You're lucky that she still accepts us, but I'm warning you, that was your last chance at not fucking things up**," Dark says angrily, though I know he's just a relieved as I am.

"Well, it seems that the signs you asked me about were correct Jak," Spyro says as he stands, carrying his plate in one of his paws as he walks off on three legs, the movement looking like a limp. It takes a second for me to realize what he meant, &amp; I can't help but look after him in surprise. The purple dragon drops the plate in the sink &amp; walks toward the hall, pausing when he notices my surprised look.

"I DO know what the signs that Meldalvyna displayed means, Jak. That &amp; I can read lips well enough to know you said Meldalvyna. Don't worry you two, I won't tell Cynder," Meldalvyna's stepfather says with a knowing, friendly smile before walking down the hall, leaving us alone infront of the fire. A few seconds of relaxed silence goes by before I feel my eyelids getting heavy, the heat of the fire threatening to put me to sleep.

"_I really do like Spyro, he has great character &amp; he is very kind &amp; understanding. He will be a great allie,_" Light says, a smile in his voice.

"Jak, can I ask you a question?" Meldalvyna asks, shocking me back into full awareness. Meldalvyna turns her head to me, a strange look of curiousity in her eyes, patiently awaiting my answer.

"Sure," I respond, feeling the sleepy smile that had been on my face beginning to be replaced by a straight expression.

"When you told us about how you had woken up in that guys chest... it brought up a question. Has Dark ever forced you to do stuff?" she asks, a her brow creased in curiousity.

"Yes, he has, but he doesn't do it as often as he did when Baron Praxis was still alive, he used to force me to do things I didn't want to nearly every day then, now he just does it once a year it seems," I answer, the memory of a particular time coming to mind causing my straight face to fall into a frown.

"Hm... will you tell me the the worst time he's forced you to do something?" Meldalvyna asks, wiggling a little bit away from me so she could look me in the eye.

"_Be careful, this one is the worst case you've had that I have been with you_," Light warns, his tone carrying a slight hint of worry. With a mental nod, I take a deep breath in preparation.

"It was when the Dark Makers were threatening the planet, I had already received Light, but he was still weak in comparison to Dark at the time. Dax &amp; I were driving through the Wastelands on our way back to Spargus from a week long venture when I caught the scent of fresh blood in the air &amp; followed it. The smell led to a small, abandoned village-like area &amp; the car couldn't get into any of the gate-ways, which is where Daxter decided to stay while I investigated," I begin, trying to keep my eyes on Meldalvyna's. She nods, telling me to continue with the telling of the event. With a deep breath, I give my head a small shake, trying to remove the images coming to my mind.

"We had eaten the remainder of our rations we had brought with us four days before hand, &amp; were running low on water, so I was rushing to try &amp; get back to the city. Anyways, the smell led me to a blood trail in the sand, which I followed to a building, &amp; I could tell that Marauders had been in the area not even an hour before I had gotten there. Blood was splattered on the walls on the inside of the building, &amp; in one of the rooms I found a freshly killed citizen of Spargus, &amp; I could tell he was clubbed &amp; stabbed to death," I go on, pausing for a courage-building breath.

"At the time, I was too low on Dark Eco for Dark to come out &amp; too low on Light Eco for Light to interfere in any way, so it gave me the bravery to go up &amp; inspect the body... but I shouldn't have been so sure of myself. Dark didn't have enough Dark Eco to gain complete control over my body &amp; conscience, but he DID have enough to gain control over my body, but not my conscience. He took control of my body &amp; forced ME to watch as he made ME pull the man apart &amp; eat until HE was satisfied, &amp; get rid of any evidence of it stuck to my body. I had tried to vomit, but he wouldn't let me... &amp; I hated him for making me do that, but... I, I was thankful a little as well, though I didn't want to admit it, he gave me the energy I needed to go fight through the heat to Spargus. I never told Daxter, so that makes you the first person I've ever told about that," I finish, my eyes dropping to her shoulder, not wanting to look into her eyes. The sound of the fire burning infront of us fills the space left vacant by our ended conversation, the air seeming to condense &amp; get heavy with unspoken words.

"Ja... Jak, I... I don't know what to say, I... there are no words to describe how I feel about you at the moment... you scared me... you made me disgusted... you made me feel like I should have been there to help you when you needed it most, like it was my fault for not being with you," Meldalvyna says, lifting my head with her hand until my gaze meets hers, pure sympathy glittering in orange flames in her forest-colored eyes. Leaning forward, she kisses me gently, pulling back a second later, a sad smile on her lips, telling me silently that she didn't care about what I did then, but only about what I'm doing now.

"Thank you, Meldalvyna," I say, unable to say anything else, her understanding making me near speachless.

"No, thank you Jak. It's easier to love &amp; understand you if I know about what troubles you, what makes you tick, what makes you smile, &amp; I plan to make that the same way for you as it is for me, for love cannot reign purely without understanding," Meldalvyna says gently, tapping the end of my nose with a finger.

"I like the way that sounds, love cannot reign purely without understanding, absolutely beautiful &amp; true... too bad the couch wasn't just a little bit closer, I could lean against it &amp; fall asleep," I say, holding back a yawn, my eyes heavy, the heat from the fire seeming to push my eyelids closed.

"Hm, that sounds nice... I have an idea, hold on a second," Meldalvyna says, standing up &amp; walking towards Spyro's pile of pillows, grabbing a couple large pillows in one hand by the corners, then to Cynders &amp; grabbing two more large pillows with the other hand.

"Here, hold these," Meldalvyna says absentmindedly, dropping the four huge pillows into my lap as she walks by, going for the couch. Stopping infront of the run-down loveseat, Meldalvyna pulls off the cushions, one in each hand, &amp; walks a few feet behind me, setting the two cushions next to each other.

Realizing what she is trying to do, I stand up &amp; hand her two of the pillows, laying down the last two in my hand next to each other. Meldalvyna sets down her pillows next to the ones I layed down, finishing the little make-shift bed. With a grin, Meldalvyna grabs my wrist &amp; pulls me down with her as she collapses onto the bed of pillows &amp; cushions, causing me to land closest to the fire on my back &amp; her on her side, our towels covering the pillows &amp; cushions so we don't get them wet.

"There we go, now we can sleep in comfort," Meldalvyna says with a relaxed sigh, nuzzling the end of her snout underneath my neck as she snuggles her chest up against my own. Resting her arm across my chest &amp; lightly holding my shoulder opposite of herself, Meldalvyna lazily drapes her tail across my legs, her wings completely relaxed behind her.

"What if someone comes in &amp; sees us?" I ask half-heartedly with a yawn, the warmth lulling me to sleep.

"We'll probably be asleep by then, &amp; hopefully that person will have enough sense to leave us be, or else I'll be pissed," Meldalvyna laughs sleepily, wiggling a little to get closer, her knee coming to rest ontop of my leg before going still. With a light chuckle, I allow myself to drift. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, the loud blaring of my communicator echoes around the room, making both Meldalvyna &amp; I jump in surprise.

"This better be important damnit," I say angrily as I pull the device out of my pocket, drying the surface of the thing on the towel before I put it to my ear, not bothering to see who is calling me.

"What?" I ask with a growl, not even trying to keep my annoyance out of my voice.

"Jak, it's me, &amp; you need to hear this," Daxter's voice responds on the other end, his tone worried &amp; serious.

"What is it?" I ask as I sit up, earning a sad groan from Meldalvyna, Dax's voice making me curious as I feel a shiver of panic runs up my spine. It takes less than five seconds for Daxter to respond, his answer making me turn to Meldalvyna in surprise. Hanging up after a rushed goodbye to the Ottsel, I put the communicater back into my pocket, not ever removing my gaze from Meldalvyna as I zip the pocket closed.

"What did Daxter say?" Meldalvyna asks while sitting up, a look of worried curiousity on her face.

"Apparently, the guy that made your new clothes told some of his buddies about you, &amp; those buddies told the media... the entirety of Haven City knows about you now," I respond, dropping my arms to my lap, the disbelief of our current luck making my head spin, Meldalvyna's eyes widening in surprise.

**Author's Note:** Dun dun DUUUN! So now, everyone in Haven City knows about Meldalvyna, &amp; who KNOWS what's going to happen next (besides me)! Anyways, who knew that writing about cannibalism could be so hard, not me, that's for sure. I hope you guys liked the chapter, &amp; please, if you feel like I could've done better somewhere, please say so in a review! tigerdj98 signing out!


	32. Media Panic

**Author's Note:** Hello all &amp; welcome to yet another chapter of this little story! So, last chapter I left you guys off with a cliff-hanger... yeah, about that... remember how my story has two genres? Well, let's just say that one of these genres is FINALLY going to have a reason to come into play! So yeah, this chapter should be fun, &amp; if you enjoy, say so, &amp; if you don't enjoy it (or think I could've done better), say so... but no flames...

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"What did Daxter say?" I ask worriedly as I too sit up from the make-shift bed as Jak puts away his communicator, a mixed expression of surprise &amp; anxiety on his face as he looks at me.

"Apparently, the guy that made your new clothes told some of his buddies about you, &amp; those buddies told the media... the entirety of Haven City knows about you now," Jak responds with disbelief, dropping his arms in his lap.

"_The majority of Haven City's population knows about me? Oh shit, if that's true, there's bound to be some people who will not like me... &amp; they're bound to find out about Jak &amp; I, oh __**fuck**_," I think to myself, panicing as the revelation surprises me.

"Did Daxter say anything about him giving a description?" I ask, unease in my voice as I turn to face Jak.

"No, but apparently he showed his buddies his security video to them for proof, &amp; somehow, &amp; it ended up on the news a few minutes before Dax called me," Jak answers, a sarcastic laugh that clearly says 'I'm-irritated-as-hell-right-now' shaking his body as an angry smile spreads across his lips.

"Did he say anything else about it?" I ask, wanting to know as much as I could about the problem before setting foot inside the city again.

"No, but I'm pretty sure that I was somewhere in the security footage, so if I'm seen anywhere in the city, I'm probably going to be asked a few questions or yelled at in the streets," Jak replies, moving his gaze away from me &amp; to some point in the opposite side of the room, a sigh escaping his chest as he slouches a little.

"I can't even step foot inside the city in this outfit, or in my Freedom League armor, since the security footage probably has me in those two," I say with an angry sigh of my own, the sound causing Jak to return his attention to me.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure you've been there in all of your outfits," Jak corrects thoughtfully, his voice a mere groan.

"Ah shit, I forgot about that one, I guess I'm screwed then," I say with a groan, falling back onto the bed of cushions &amp; pillows on my back, my wings spread so I don't lay on them, subconsciously crossing my legs loosely in the process.

"Check your comm. unit, you might have a message or something," Jak suggests, looking down at me from his slightly slouched position, well, as much as I could see of him anyways. Pulling the still wet device out of my pocket &amp; wiping the thing on the towels, I lift the device to where I can see it clearly &amp; look at the screen.

"Nope, nothing besides the one I got from Torn earlier this morning," I say as I put the communicator back in my pocket with a sigh. Looking back to Jak, I notice a small smile spread across his face, no longer slouching.

"What are you smiling about?" I ask curiously, unable to figure out why he is looking at me like he is.

"I just realized two things... one, I can't go into the city either, which means I get to stay here with you until I figure something out... &amp; two, if I slouch, the most I can see of your face are your eyebrows &amp; a little of your actual eyes," Jak answers, gesturing towards my face with one hand absentmindedly.

"Oh, yeah, that's right, you don't want to be seen right now in the city either... hehe... I can't see much of you when you slouch either," I say while sitting up onto my elbows, a sly smile on my face when I realize what he meant by his first comment.

"Really? Why can't you, I only said that because your snout sorta blocked most of your eyes the way you were laying down a second ago," Jak asks, his face pulled into an expression of curiousity.

"I could see your entire face just fine when you sat up straight, but when you were slouched, my chest got in the way," I reply with a laugh as I watch Jak's face &amp; the tips of his ears turn pink. Jak turns his face away from me as he chuckles a little, his face still pink, only for him to flick his gaze at my face &amp; downward every once in a while, each one less than a second, turning his cheeks darker &amp; darker pink.

"Hey, just because I mentioned my chest doesn't mean it's okay to stare," I say teasingly as I sit all the way up, a grin on my face as Jak's face turns even darker pink.

"It's hard NOT to look when you mention it," Jak defends, a shy laugh in his voice, now completely refusing to look at me, a hand on his forehead in embarassment. With a devious grin, I scoot up behind him &amp; hug him tightly around his chest, purposely pushing my chest against his back as I sit on my knees.

"M-Mel, quit... what if Cynder sees us?" Jak asks in surprise, his tone sheepish, trying to wiggle out of my grasp as I tighten my hold around him.

"Oh what, do you not like the touch of your girlfriend?" I ask softly in his ear, my voice low &amp; teasing. I feel Jak shiver, his struggling becoming stronger &amp; a bit more frantic.

"No... I mean I do, I just... teasing me in a place where anyone could walk in, not too good of an idea... &amp;, and they'd see the make-shift bed, &amp; you... they'd think the worst, &amp; not... not just you getting me back for staring," Jak replies shakily, like he is holding back a growl, trying to get me to release him, his regular breathing replaced by errotic panting, the scent of lusty panic coming off him in waves.

"_Whoever said I was getting you back for staring_," I think to myself evilly as I squeeze a bit tighter, though I know he is right. With a triumphant chuckle, I release my grip from around his chest, supressing the urge to recapture him &amp; whisper what I just thought into his ear.

"Eh, you're right, I probably shouldn't have done that in the living room at my house," I say with a grin &amp; a light giggle, scooting away to sit where I was originally. Jak looks at me, his eyes wide with surprise at my comment, immediately picking up exactly what I meant.

"Well, we can still sit here &amp; dry off, I'm still a bit damp," Jak says a second later, a small smirk stretching across his lips as he falls over onto his back, both of his hands underneath his head. With a smiling shake of my head, I lay down on my side &amp; scoot until my face is nuzzled in his neck &amp; my arm rested on his chest, the leg I'm not laying on resting ontop of his along with my tail.

"_Hm, this is nice... I could stay like this forever_," I think to myself blissfully as I feel myself drift, Jak's steady breathing lulling me to sleep. A sudden, loud, &amp; ground-shaking slam shocks me awake &amp; into a sitting position, Jak sitting up with me, eyes wide with tired surprise before focusing on something infront of us, a look of dread in his eyes. Looking around the room, I see my mother standing infront of our improvised bed, a disapproving scowl on her face.

"Uh, h-hi mom, what's up?" I ask bashfully, now completely awake &amp; trying to act innocent.

"Oh, Spyro called for dinner, so I came in &amp; saw you two sleeping ever so peacefully, &amp; you know how I am about eating meals together, especially when we have a guest as important as your _boyfriend_," Cynder says sarcastically, sneering on the last word as she flicks her gaze angrily at Jak.

"Oh, it's dinner time? We must have slept a while then... trying to dry off anyways," I say, trying to hold defense for Jak &amp; I.

"I know, Spyro told me about your messing around in the pond, &amp; that you two came in to dry off, that &amp; I can see the towels spread over the cushions &amp; pillows," she says with a grunt &amp; sickly sweet tone.

"I know, just trying to prove ourselves as innocent, _mother_," I say, ridicule in my voice as I let my eyelids go to slits.

"You call me walking in to find you asleep in a _bed_ cozied up against your boyfriend the same day that you have to defend yourself from spending the night in _his bed _after a night of drinking innocent? You know what... forget it, it's time to eat, are you staying with us for dinner or not, Jak?" Cynder asks, her tone going from pissed off to calm in less than a second as she looks away from me &amp; to Jak, her problem obviously not with him, but with me.

"Uh... yeah, I don't have anywhere else to be, if it's okay," Jak replies, the expression on his face &amp; the sound of his voice clearly saying he is extremely confused by what just happened.

"Okay then... Meldalvyna, put those things you made that pallet from back, you two are bound to be dry by now," my mother says, turning away &amp; walking into the kitchen, joining my stepfather.

Standing, Jak helps me put away the cushions to the couch, pillows to the piles, &amp; towels into a hamper to be cleaned. Walking into the kitchen with Jak following behind, we pick up our plates &amp; head back into the living room, sitting next to each other, Sparx on his bench, my parents on their respective piles of pillows, &amp; Hunter on his stack of borrowed pillows. After we eat, everyone goes their own way, leaving Jak &amp; I alone in the living room yet again.

"You know Mel, I've figure out a way to get in &amp; out of the city without being spotted," Jak says after I hand him a glass of water &amp; sit down next to him.

"What is it? I don't think Torn is going to let us have another day off, &amp; I know I haven't earned any vacation days yet," I say, happy to hear Jak's revelation.

"We can take an air-tran in &amp; out. Hell, I could contact Torn right now &amp; get a private one for us to use tomorrow," Jak says, a small, happy grin on his face.

"I didn't think about that... but what about when we're on patrol?" I ask, realizing yet another problem with the trouble we're in. Jak pauses for a second, taking a drink from his glass as he thinks it through.

"We could get a cruiser &amp; stay in the Freedom League Only hover zone," Jak suggests smiling again.

"Yeah, that'll work... we can come in on an air-tran, check in for work, patrol in a cruiser above everyone else, &amp; come back when we're done, &amp; I can get out once we drop you off at your place," I say in return, saying my thoughts out loud as I process how the plan will work.

"We could have Carl &amp; Luke drive us also... the guys that met you outside the FL HQ," Jak says, a smile on his face.

"Yeah, those guys know about me already, so those two will work. So, we'll be all set as soon as you contact Torn," I say, nodding in agreement as I speak. Jak smiles &amp; pulls out his communicator, &amp; messes with the small device for a second before putting it up against his ear. An earful of one-sided conversation later, Jak finally puts away his communicator.

"Well, Torn gave us the okay for an air-tran with Carl &amp; Luke as drivers &amp; a cruiser for us to use tomorrow, &amp; for me to use the air-tran tonight to get back to my place. Sadly, the latest it can go is ten pm, so I've gotta go in five minutes to reach the Lock in time," Jak says, his smile falling to a small frown at the end, downing the rest of his water. With a disappointed frown of my own, I grab his now empty glass &amp; bring it into the kitchen along with my own, washing out the cups &amp; setting them out to dry.

"You want me to go with you to the lock?" I ask as I walk back into the kitchen, Jak's now expressionless face making me feel a bit sad.

"Sure... oh wait, your metal outfit is still in my pack," Jak says, pulling out my dragon-grade steel top &amp; skirt, handing the outfit to me.

"Oh, I almost forgot about those," I say thankfully, grabbing the clothes from him, "give me a sec, I've gotta go put these away."

Running up the stairs &amp; into my room, I drop my clothes off on my bed, only to run back down the stairs &amp; come to a bouncing stop infront of Jak, who is already standing near the steps leading up to the door, patiently waiting for me.

"Ready to go?" Jak asks, a smile on his face, offering his hand to me.

"Yeah, but I'm not looking forward to the cold," I reply with a chuckle, grabbing his hand &amp; squeezing it tightly. Jak's smile widens, pulling me a little closer as we walk up to the door, shaking his head as a small laugh escapes him. As soon as the door opens, the night air seems to bite down on my skin with it's frigid teeth, causing me to immediately start shivering. Drawing my wings up around myself, I manage to gain a little more heat from both myself &amp; my jean-jacket.

"You wanna see if we can ride my jetboard together?" Jak asks after a second of walking, light shivers running across his arm to his hand every once in a while, his cheeks pink from the cold.

"Sure, it'll be better than walking all the way there in the cold," I reply, letting go of his hand to give him some space. Reaching behind his back, he pulls out his jetboard, dropping it on the ground as it comes to life. Getting on the levitating device, Jak goes through different positions, looking between me &amp; the machine underneath his feet as he tries to figure out how exactly to get us both on there. After a second, Jak looks at me, a thoughtful look on his face with a weird smirk on his face.

"How about if I carry you while I ride this?" Jak asks, the smile staying on his face as he looks at me.

"I guess, but how would that work?" I question, wondering how he'd manage to carry me &amp; ride the jetboard at the same time.

"I've carried a box of heavy plasmite bombs while doing jumps on this thing, I'm pretty sure I can handle you &amp; do the same thing," Jak responds, stepping off the jetboard while flicking it into his hand with his foot.

"Oh, okay then," I say, walking up to Jak &amp; stopping just before him, not sure exactly how he wants to carry me.

"Bridal-style isn't going to be a good idea, so I'm going to have to carry you on my back," Jak says, looking between me &amp; the jetboard again. Dropping the jetboard again, Jak turns away from me &amp; crouches down low enough for me to easily get on without having to jump on him.

"_Well, this is kinda awkward_," I think to myself sheepishly as I climb onto his back, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck as he puts his arms underneath my thighs, lifting me with little strain. Fully standing, Jak steps onto the jetboard &amp; leans forward slowly, moving us slowly forward.

As we go along on our slow pace, I find my tail coiled around his waist. Jak looks up at me for a split second, a devilish grin on his face as we slowly begin to go faster. Before I can tell him not too, Jak suddenly picks up speed, diving around corners &amp; down the incline towards the Haven City Forest &amp; Mountain Pass Lock. Finally letting myself enjoy the fast pace, I laugh each time we round a corner, watching as a log laying across the path comes into view, Jak squatting a little lower, preparing to jump it. As he launches both us &amp; the jetboard into the air, I open my wings a little, feeling the urge to take off in flight, only to supress it with an exhilerated laugh as we land on the other side. A few minutes later, the Lock comes into view, but the air-tran is nowhere in sight.

"Huh, we're early," Jak says as we come to a stop, stepping off the jetboard &amp; kneeling down, letting me off his back. As soon as the words exit his mouth, the sound of engines fill the air as an air-tran comes into view.

"Or not... well, see you tomorrow, love you," I say as the large blue vehicle drops down infront of us, the back hatch opening up for Jak as it comes to a landing.

"See you later, love you too, Mel. I'll tell Carl &amp; Luke you said hi" Jak says with a smile, kissing my cheek before getting into the back of the air-tran. Pounding on the inside of the vehicle, Jak turns to me &amp; waves as it takes off, lifting into the air as the door closes, cutting off my view of Jak. As the air-tran disappears over the city wall, I take flight, starting my trip back to my warm house.

**Jak's POV**

"Hello Commander Jak, no time to keep it down, we've gotta go asap," I hear Carl shout over the engines as I get into the air-tran. Pounding on the interior of the transport zoomer with my fist, the large vehicle begins to lift off. I turn back to the rear opening of the air-tran &amp; wave good-bye to Meldalvyna until I can't see her anymore, the door cutting off my view as it closes.

"Commander Jak, may I ask a question, Sir?" Luke asks once the hatch closes &amp; the roar of the engines is reduced to a mere hum.

"How many times do I have to tell these two to not call me Commander?" I think to myself, a little peeved at the two for a second.

"Go ahead Luke," I reply as I sit down on the metal benches, not bothering with the thought that passed through my head a second ago.

"Well, I have two questions... my first one is how do you feel about being on the news, &amp; my second question, are you dating miss Meldalvyna?" the brunette asks, turning his head towards the back of the air-tran, trying to see my face.

"I have a feeling things aren't going to be good, &amp; I'm going to be hounded by the media... why do you ask about me &amp; Meldalvyna?" I question, curious as to why he'd ask that.

"Well, actually, I wanted to ask that," Carl says shyly, looking backwards to me for a second before turning back to driving the transport zoomer.

"Okay then, why do you ask that, Carl?" I ask sarcastically, hearing myself sneering a little at him.

"Well... uh, you were in the original security videos with Meldalvyna in that man's clothes shop, &amp; there's the security footage at the Haven City Forest &amp; Mountain Pass Lock that shows your face going into her hood a few times," Carl says, stuttering a little towards the end.

"**Oh shit, ask if the Lock security footage ended up on the news**," Dark says, his voice worried as he urges me.

"Was the Lock security video on the news too?" I ask sternly, standing up &amp; walking up to the front of the air-tran, setting a hand down roughly on the backs of each pilot's seat.

"No, it wasn't on the news, but it was in the news papers," Luke says, looking up to me for a second, a look of fear in his eyes.

"Ah, fuuuuuck," I growl as I look straight up &amp; close my eyes, squeezing the backs of the seats in anger.

"Uh... C-commander Jak," Carl begins, a light shiver in his voice.

"What?" I snap at him angrily, whipping my gaze back down to him, not bothering to hold back my annoyance.

"You... you never answered my question," he says nervously, watching me cautiously from his seat. I let out a snarling breath, wanting to punch something, but forcing myself to calm down.

"You really want to know, huh... risking your life to ask me a question when I'm pissed, &amp; you KNOW what happens when I get pissed... you two have some guts... fine, yes I am dating Meldalvyna, &amp; if you tell anyone, let's just say you won't get very far in life," I sneer, turning around &amp; going back to where I had been sitting before. The rest of the ride goes in tense silence before I get off infront of the apartment building I live in, happy to be out off the tension.

"_You did not need to take your annoyance out on them_," Light says as I walk up the multiple flights of stairs to my apartment, his tone scorning. With a sigh that would reflect a teenager being told to do their chores, I shake my head, dismissing Light's disdain as I take my apartment keys out of my pants pocket.

At my door, I undo the lock &amp; ease the door open, determined not to make a sound. Once inside &amp; the door is shut, I sigh, re-locking the door behind me as I toss my keys on the small table next to the door on the way to my room, ready to collapse onto my bed. Taking a few minutes to rid myself of my day clothes &amp; set my alarm for the next morning, I collapse into my bed in my night clothes. As I fidget around in the bed, trying to get comfortable underneath the covers, I catch Meldalvyna's scent in the cloth, the sweet smell making me stop. Pressing my nose to the fabric &amp; breathing in deeply, the fragrance causes me to relax, my eyes immediately drifting shut &amp; the world going dark as I finally fall asleep.

Loud blaring from my alarm clock scares me awake, subconsciously reaching for my morph gun on the ground next to my bed. Shaking away the surprise, I shut off my alarm clock &amp; stand up.

"_Jak, you need to go faster, remember the air-trans_?" Light asks as I put on my Freedom League uniform, his tone urging me to hurry up.

"Oh shit, I forgot about that!" I reply out loud, hopping &amp; bouncing into the remainder of my uniform &amp; armor. Nearly sprinting into the kitchen, I scarf down a cereal breakfast &amp; run into the bathroom to comb my hair &amp; brush my teeth. I rush out of the bathroom &amp; to the door, scooping up the keys to my apartment &amp; unlock the door, flying out of the apartment &amp; whipping around to re-lock the door before darting down the stairs &amp; outside. Bursting out of the front door of the apartment building, I see the transport zoomer already waiting for me, the back hatch open. Running into the back of the air-tran, I thump the interior of the vehicle with my fist as I enter. The door closes as the air-tran takes off, silencing the rumble of the engines to a near quiet.

"Good morning Commander Jak," Carl says once the door fully closes.

"Good morning Carl, &amp; seriously, don't call me Commander, I don't like it," I say in return as I sit down on one of the benches, tired of hearing the two call me that wretched name.

"Sorry Co- uh, Jak, we'll try to remember that. Oh, &amp; sorry about prying about your relationship with Meldalvyna, Sir," Carl says, turning to face me for a second, a hand rubbing the back of his neck as he speaks.

"It's alright, I shouldn't have snapped at you guys over your last question," I apologize in return, knowing the fault was with me, &amp; not them.

"So I guess you wouldn't mind if I ask how far you two have gotten?" Luke questions with a sly smile in his voice, not looking away from the windshield of the transport zoomer.

"**These prying pricks, what's their deal? Tell'em to fuck off Jak, dammit**," Dark growls groggily, just having woken up.

"Good morning to you too Dark. They're just curious, though I wish they'd just leave it be," I reply to him silently, mentally laughing at his reaction to Carl &amp; Luke, imagining him to be rolling over in his annoyance.

"Just listen real hard &amp; pay attention when she gets on, hopefully she knows we'll be picking her up on the forest side of the Lock," I say, smirking when I hear a pleading sigh come from the two.

"We're landing, &amp; Meldalvyna's standing outside," Carl says, the sound of roaring wind filling the interior of the air-tran as the back hatch opens, signalling the discent towards the ground. Once I feel the transport zoomer hit the ground, I jog down the hatch-turned-ramp &amp; up to Meldalvyna, the hood of her Freedom League cloak down, revealing a smile on her face.

"Hello Jak," Meldalvyna says, hugging me when I get close enough, kissing me in greeting, her tail winding it's way around my leg. Kissing her forehead in return as my own greeting, I hear a wolf-whistle come ringing out of the transport zoomer. Parting, I turn toward the air-tran &amp; lead her into the vehicle.

"Hello Carl, Luke," Meldalvyna greets once the door closes behind us &amp; the transport zoomer takes off, a smile on her face.

"So miss Meldalvyna, you _are_ dating Jak, right?" Luke asks as I pull her to one of the metal benches &amp; sit down, pulling her down with me. Meldalvyna looks at me as she sits next to me, her brows furrowed in curiousity before returning her attention to the two pilots.

"Uh, yes, I am," Meldalvyna replies, her curious expression leaking into her voice. In her eyes, I can see the obvious question of 'why' glittering brightly, her eyelids squinted, trying to find answers by staring at the backs of their heads. Carl &amp; Luke look at each other, a smirk forming on their faces before they turn back to the windsheild.

"Miss Meldalvyna, may I ask a question?" Carl inquires, sly curiousity dripping in his voice. Flashing my gaze to Meldalvyna, I watch as she raises a scaled brow-ridge, trying to figure out what they have in store for her.

"Sure," Meldalvyna replies, her voice questioning &amp; calculating, drawing out her answer, unsure of where the conversation is going.

"Now, Jak wouldn't answer this question when we asked him this a few minutes ago, but... how far have you two gotten with each other?" Carl asks, looking back towards Meldalvyna &amp; me, looking straight into her eyes.

"_Again with this question_?" Light asks with an exasperated sigh, speaking my own annoyance with the two. Meldalvyna's brows dip down, no doubt sensing my annoyance, &amp; coupling it with her own. After a second of her frown, Meldalvyna's expression falls into one like the many I've seen on Spyro's face.

"Well, if you must know, we've pronounced our love. Now do not ask about it again, &amp; do not tell anyone else, because if I ever find out, I will make you pay," Meldalvyna says, her tone light, but in her eyes is a seriousness that should never be messed with, the look making me want to scoot away a little.

"Woah-ho-ho-ho! Go Jak &amp; Mel... tell us, who teases the other the most?" Luke asks with a laugh, a smile in his voice.

"Mel's the teaser," I answer with a grin, earning a smiling glare from Meldalyvna.

"What? I don't tease you that often," Meldalvyna says with a laugh, looking at me with an innocent smile on her face.

"Oh really? Let's see, there was the time you wanted to drive my zoomer for the first time, yesterday morning when you pinned me on the bench, &amp; yesterday afternoon when you wouldn't let me go," I say with a laugh, Meldalvyna sticking her tongue out at me, an evil, guilty smirk on her face.

"What did she do with the zoomer?" Carl asks, looking back at us with a laugh &amp; a curious smile.

"Get this, she wanted to drive my zoomer, &amp; to try to convince me, she practically lays across the thing with one of her arms stretched out towards the front, &amp; as soon as she's all nice &amp; stretched out, she lifts her wings to show her hip, then pulls slowly back up into a sitting position, her head turned to the side with a 'come hither' smile on her face," I reply going back through the scene in my head as I explain the incident.

"**Mm, I liked that, she looked so... hm-hm... **_**nice**_," Dark says, his tone suggestive &amp; reminiscent, enjoying the memory.

'Wow, Meldalvyna, Jak is putty in your hands, ain't he?" Luke laughs, quickly glancing back at us with a sly smile on his face.

"Nah, he just can't tease me, or else he'll be in a great big deal of shit, unless he can run faster than I can fly, but I don't think he can do that," Meldalvyna replies with a laugh of her own.

"Wait, what is that supposed to mean?" I ask, taken off guard by what she said, looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

"There's a rule with female dragons about grabbing their ... shall we say, _attention_... don't rile 'em up if ya don't want the _attention_, &amp; if you don't want the _attention_ at the moment, you'd better make yourself scarce," Meldalvyna replies, emphasizing the word 'attention' with a suggestive purr. Immediately, the meaning of her message clicks in my mind, blood rushing to my cheeks at the information.

"Wait, so what you're saying is that you shouldn't get a dragon-girl horny unless you want what she has? Jak, you'd better watch yourself, she's a live wire!" Carl laughs, bringing a hand up to his forehead as his entire frame shakes with his laughter. I can't help but cover my face as I laugh, trying to hide the blush I feel more blood rushing to my face.

"Oh jeez, that means that if she hadn't passed out from the alcohal that night, she would've... oh Precursors," I think to myself, realizing the full extent of what she just revealed to me, &amp; realizing just how close we had come to having an even larger problem than we had before.

"Here we are guys, see you later," Luke says as the back hatch begins to open, cold air rushing into the air-tran as it descends, immediately sending chills down my spine. The door fully open, I see Torn standing in wait for Meldalvyna &amp; me, a Freedom League cruiser levitating next to him. Once the transport zoomer hits the ground, I walk out of the air-tran, Meldalvyna walking next to me, her hood already up. Waiting for the air-tran takes off, Meldalvyna &amp; I stand in silence at attention.

"Hello Torn, what's the news?" I ask once the transport zoomer is far away enough to be heard over, noticing a concerned look on Torns face.

"The local news crew visited the Freedom League HQ earlier this morning before you two got here, &amp; just left a few minutes ago, I just came out to tell you to watch out for them," Torn responds, his face showing complete seriousnes, though in his eyes I could tell he wasn't saying as much as he knew.

"That's not all you have to tell us, is it?" Meldalvyna asks in concern, beating me to the punch, changing her posture to a more tense one, anxiety in her pose.

"No, they got a hold of Daxter &amp; Tess... the media now know you two are a couple," Torn answers, his face a mixture of anger &amp; sadness, knowing the problems we're going to face. I feel my stomach flip over at the information, looking between Torn &amp; Meldalvyna in worry &amp; disbelief.

"The citizens are demanding answers from Ashelin, answers she doesn't have," Torn says, changing his posture to mirror the angst in his voice.

**Author's Note:** Dun dun DUUUUUNNNN! I hope you guys liked the chapter, &amp; if you guys think I could do any better, or noticed any mistakes, please say so in a review/PM! Oh yeah, before I forget, the reason I posted this chapter so early is because next week I'll be at my grandparents' house for the week this chapter was supposed to come out... so yeah, early chapter for you guys I guess! tigerdj98 signing out, until next month!


	33. On the Lamb, Sorta

**Author's Note:** Hello you guys, &amp; welcome to chapter 33 of this little story here! **Important news, please read: THE SCHEDULE OF THIS STORY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE! ****MY PARENTS HAVE INITIATED A 1HR TIME LIMIT TO MY TYPING TIME, WHICH MEANS IT MAY HINDER POSTING TIMES, &amp; ARE CONSIDERING ONLY ALLOWING WEEKEND USE, WHICH WOULD EVEN FURTHER HINDER SCHEDULE! When the next chapter comes out, I will have the full news.** Other than that, nothing else should change.

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"The citizens are demanding answers from Ashelin, answers she doesn't have," Torn says while staring at Jak, changing his posture to mirror the angst in his voice, a deep, concerned frown on his face. The scent of surprise, worry, &amp; slight anger rise into the air, the mix of the smells making me tense &amp; my snout to crinkle.

"They already know about my being in the Freedom League, don't they?" I ask worriedly, though I already knew the certain answer. Torn looks from me to Jak, a sad look coming to his eyes.

"I'm sorry to say it, but yes they do, it's being broadcasted right now. A lot of men don't like the idea of you being in the FL, but I plan on keeping you, you're a valuable member, &amp; I plan on having you train rookies on fighting techniques some time in the future," Torn replies, the lower seeming to be carved into his face as he speaks.

"What do you think we should do about the other Freedom League members, sir?" I implore, my mind numb from the worry-filled thoughts flashing through my brain faster than I can think about them. Torn's eyes flick around as a small, thoughtful hum escapes his throat, grabbing his chin with his index &amp; thumb as he ponders over the question.

"If it is alright with Jak, I'd say we should introduce you to each squadron one at a time, having the two of you talk to them, to show them how you are as a person, until the entirety of the FL knows about &amp; trusts you as a fellow Freedom League officer, Meldalvyna" Torn responds, looking between Jak &amp; me for any sort of answer. I turn my eyes to Jak, searching his own, watching him as he thinks it through, staring at him with a look of hope.

"_This IS the best idea so far after all, &amp; it isn't like we have any other ideas_," I think to myself, trying to tell Jak my thoughts through my eyes, though I know he can't see them underneath the shadow of my hood, tipping my head a little &amp; give off a soft grunt to indicate my decision. After a second, a small grimace takes Jak's lips as he turns his attention back to Torn.

"I have a bad feeling about this... fine, we'll do it. When's the closest time we can have a squadron in the HQ?" Jak asks, his tone serious &amp; all-business, eyes dark &amp; squinted slightly at the Chief of Arms, obviously ready &amp; waiting for his answer.

"At 13-hundred hours, it'll be the one that has Carl &amp; Luke, to give you guys a better standing for the group," Torn replies, leaning backwards a little as he puts his palms to his back, hooking his thumbs to the very edge of his nearly invisible pockets.

"We'll be back here &amp; ready for them at five before thirteen Torn, but until then, we'll be on patrol," Jak says with a nodd, turning away from the dread-locked man &amp; leading me to the FL cruiser. Climbing up into the two-seated zoomer at the same time as Jak, I take a seat as Torn walks up to Jak's side of the vehicle, setting a hand next to Jak's foot on the floor-boards, getting his attention.

"Okay, don't be late... and Jak, Meldalvyna, be careful out there &amp; stay hidden, they'll be watching for you two... by the way, Jak, we're holding your zoomer for you, it's too recognizeable for you to use right now," Torn says, the tone of worry in his voice matching the intensity of the concern in his scent, the advice serious &amp; sincere. Jak nods his thanks before turning on the cruiser &amp; lifting into the Freedom League-only flight zone.

Revving the engine, we take off towards the main streets until we reach our patrol route, slowing down so we don't bring attention to ourselves. As we further our patrol, I look at Jak, noticing a small look on his face that suggested he wanted to talk, &amp; whatever it is that's on his mind must be important. After a few minutes of silence, Jak sighs loudly, getting my attention.

"So Mel, how do you want to do this?" Jak asks while glancing at me, clearly referencing to the trust plan we had agreed upon. I pause for a moment, thinking about how I want to start talking to each squadron, &amp; what to talk about during each meeting.

"I guess we could start off with you introducing me, then I could fully introduce myself, &amp; you could tell how you &amp; I met, then wing it from there, &amp; whatever we talk about after how we met will be the structure for the next squadrons," I suggest, looking to Jak. He looks to the air-way ahead of us, thought clearly expressed in his eyes.

"Sure... how about after I tell about how we met, you can tell them about the whole Metalhead ambush we went through, &amp; how you saved me from a probably fatal attack from behind, but leave out the whole spine-detatching part," Jak adds, suggesting further plans, taking one of his hands from stearing to wave in a gesture as he speaks.

"Yeah, we could do that, then we could ask one or two people in each row one thing they initially disliked about me being in the Freedom League, &amp; after that, we can answer any remaining questions they have about me," I say, shrugging my shoulders in gesturing thought, looking into the air-way ahead of us.

"You know what, we should do that. It's quick, easy, &amp; explains a lot in a little amount, &amp; if it needs more, than we can improvise from there. What do you think?" Jak asks while looking in my direction for a second, hope in his voice &amp; scent.

"Sure I guess, I just hope it'll work out okay... as long as it works in the Freedom League, I'll probably be okay, since I already know Ashelin can possibly be counted on to put in a good word for me in the Council," I reply, looking back to Jak, forcing a smile in my voice. Jak nods, though I can tell he didn't like the way I responded to his suggestion, turning his attention back to the air-way. The rest of the ride goes in relative silence, random conversation being the only occassional silence-breaker, the tense electricity in the air growing thicker as the day draws closer to our meeting.

As we come around the final bend to the Freedom League Head Quarters, I catch sight of what looks like a swarm of men &amp; women in suits with vehicles surrounding the entrance to the building, floating cameras &amp; other television equipment scattered around the area like a hive of Wumpbees. Pulling in &amp; dropping to a hover-zone, the suit-clad people surge towards our cruiser, questions flying at us faster than I have time to answer. Jak leaps out of the zoomer, pushing people out of the way until he gets to my side of the vehicle &amp; clears out a spot for me to get down. As soon as my feet touch the ground, Jak begins to drag me through the throng of countless people, &amp; I begin to be extremely thankful of my hood as I watch Jak push &amp; shove people out of the way without even a second thought, some of them falling to the ground or against other people. After what seems like twenty minutes, we make it inside the Freedom League HQ, finding Torn waiting for us just outside the conference &amp; mission briefing room.

"Torn, what is going on, why are all of those news reporters out there?" Jak asks as we walk up to him, his tone demanding &amp; his scent angry, his mood obvious on his face. Looking at Torn, I feel Jak's bad mood seeping into my own, a frown sliding its way across my face as I look to my superior.

"They came a few minutes ago, I didn't know they were coming, but apparently they came looking for you two, &amp; are no doubt going to have some questions. Some of the other men on patrol tell me that there are more news crews waiting around the building you live in Jak, &amp; have been there since an hour after you two checked in this morning. In this case, you two are to stay here until your shifts are over... I can only keep you away from them for so long, so I suggest finding a temporary solution for right now," Torn replies, his tone calm, but his scent tense &amp; uneasy.

"I can assist with Jak's problem, he can stay at my home until they leave his building, my parents will understand the situation, though they aren't aware of it right now as far as I know," I say, keeping my voice level &amp; strong, earning an approving nod from the Cheif of Arms, the anxious air in the room seeming to thin a little with my suggestion.

"Okay, but as soon as your shift ends, I want to talk with you two," Torn says, walking off &amp; towards the stairwell off the main room. Nodding to him, Torn dissappears up the stairs, leaving Jak &amp; I alone outside the conference &amp; mission briefing room.

"You ready, Mel?" Jak asks after taking a deep breath, looking at me, trying to see my eyes from underneath the shadow of my hood.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I reply with a sigh, reaching a hand up to take down my hood. Jak grabs my hand just before it can grab the cloth, shaking his head softly, his eyes telling me to wait until I'm introduced. Jak doesn't let go of my hand as I let it drop to my side, giving my palm a quick squeeze before opening the door to the room.

As the door opens, I feel the urge to turn around right then &amp; there, catching sight of all the men &amp; women in blue armored uniforms, the closest row standing a good twenty feet away from the door, giving us a sort of stage. Jak pulls me on &amp; through the doorway &amp; into the room, unaware of my distress &amp; sudden fear of the large crowd. Surpressing the want to turn &amp; run, I stride purposefully to the center of the left-over space just behind Jak, pushing my unease deep inside myself &amp; using to fuel my confidence &amp; air of authority. A shout of attention brings everyones' eyes to Jak &amp; me, everyone in the crowd immediately flinging their hands to their forhead &amp; keeping it there in salute. Turning towards the crowd, I stand straight with my arms crossed behind my back as Jak stands with his arms stiff at his sides &amp; his legs at shoulder-width.

"At ease, soldiers," Jak says after giving a salute of his own. The company seems to only get a bit edgier as they all fall into a position resembling that of my own, though far less stiff.

"I am assuming you all know why you have been called here, but incase I'm mistaken, I'll inform you all anyways," Jak begins starting to pace across our make-shift stage, his eyes hard-focused on the squadron before us, "You have no doubt seen on the news in the last day a... _being_... that was in a clothing store in the bazaar in Freedom League uniform, &amp; that I was seen in the security footage of this clothing store WITH this being."

Jak stops when he standing next to me again, turning to fully face the crowd, pausing to find his next words, his eyes scowering the crowd with a harsh glare, his scent thoughtful. His eyes seem to light up for a second, his mind seeming to find an answer to a question in his head, &amp; he returns to his pacing across the room, this time going in the opposite direction than when he had originally started pacing.

"I have heard that some of the men in the Freedom League do not _like_ the fact that this being is with us in our ranks. Well, _she_, yes, I said SHE &amp; I are here today to try &amp; gain your trust. I would like to introduce you to my newest friend, &amp; patrol companion, Meldalvyna," Jak says, gesturing for me to step forward as he breaks his gaze at the crowd to look at me. Walking forward to stand next to Jak, I pull down my hood, watching as most of the squadron flinch slightly at the reveal of my face, while others remain completely still, the scent of fear, anger, awe, &amp; curiosity mixing in the air of the room.

"Hello men &amp; women of the Freedom League, I am Meldalvyna Carlynn Elindrea, but please, call me by my first name. I have heard, like Jak has already stated, that some of you believe that I do not belong here, that you don't like the fact that I'm here. Now, I understand that some of you may be afraid of me, angry at me, or just plain curious as to what I am &amp; why I am here. Trust me when I tell you this, I am here to be your allie, your friend, not your enemy," I begin, allowing my gaze to span across the room as I speak, looking for Carl &amp; Luke in the crowd. After a second, I find their eyes, &amp; notice a smile in their eyes, unknown by the rest of their militia.

"I guess the first thing I can tell you about myself is what I am... now, how many of you have heard about the '_legendary_' beings known simply as dragons? Raise a hand if you apply to this," I say, letting a gentle smile come to my lips as every single hand raises in the room except for Jak's &amp; my own.

"Well, I must say that dragons aren't so much as a myth, they are fact, &amp; I should know, I am half dragon, the other half of my lineage is human. Now, I know you must be thinking how &amp; why I am half, or something along those lines, but I have to say that information is too... tender... for even me to say in confidence that you'll keep it amongst yourself. I don't know what stories you've heard about dragons, but I will tell you of the dragon race if neccessary, but you will have to come to me personally, for we do not have enough time here to discuss that, but I will tell you where I come from, &amp; what I did there," I start, focusing on Carl &amp; Luke to keep myself from getting nervous.

**Jak's POV**

"Well, I must say that dragons aren't so much as a myth, they are fact, &amp; I should know, I am half dragon, the other half of my lineage is human. Now, I know you must be thinking how &amp; why I am half, or something along those lines, but I have to say that information is too... tender... for even me to say in confidence that you'll keep it amongst yourself. I don't know what stories you've heard about dragons, but I will tell you of the dragon race if neccessary, but you will have to come to me personally, for we do not have enough time here to discuss that, but I will tell you where I come from, &amp; what I did there," Meldalvyna says, her eyes focusing on some point in the crowd, taking a deep breath, seeming to try to clear her head &amp; concentrate on what she is going to say.

"The home city of the dragon kind is Warfang, of which my parents are the King &amp; Queen of, making me the half-princess of, but I could care less about that. Since the age of four, all dragons, including myself, train to fight, along with normal studies, untill the age of twenty, &amp; I am only nineteen, making fifteen years of fight-training, &amp; I continue my fighting by participating in annual challenges in Warfang, becoming the champion fighter of my age group, &amp; these challenges are unisex," Meldalvyna continues, earning a lot of surprised looks from the crowd, hushed whispers seeming to fill the room. Stamping my foot on the floor, I silence the entire room, nodding to Meldalvyna once everyone turns their attention back to her.

"Along with that, ever since I was old enough, my mother trained me to fly, &amp; eventually, I ended up joining the racing circuits, &amp; in the annual winter races, I am the champion racer out of both gender classes, now, you must realize that all of these other dragons I have faced in races &amp; fights are, if they are at my age, nearly twice my height, &amp; they can't walk on two feet, just to give you an idea. That is all I really did there besides make friends with the other citizens of Warfang &amp; surrounding areas &amp; live like an average dragon or human would," Meldalvyna finishes, looking to me to introduce the next subject.

"I have already heard all of this from her before, though some of it is a surprise, but I am sure you are all wondering just how we met. Two of you in this room already know this information... Carl, Luke, please make yourself known to everyone else here," I begin, motioning to the two men in the room, having found their eyes as soon as I had walked into the room. Everyone in the room turns their eyes to the two as they each raise a hand.

"It all started with a mission from Torn. Carl &amp; Luke had two sightings of mystery creatures, the first was a tall, long, &amp; jet black creature with a blood red underbelly flying above them in the Haven City Mountain Pass. The second time, however, was what they thought was a human woman fighting off MetalHeads a day later in the Haven City Forest, only for it to turn out to be Meldalvyna, though they didn't know it at the time, &amp; she flew off carry two MetalHead corpses," I continue, looking around the room as eyebrows begin to furrow in curiousity, the owners of each pair obviously intrigued by the story.

"They both told me all of this, &amp; Torn told me to simply find one of these creatures &amp; take a picture of it without getting myself killed. So, I went out into the forest, &amp; found a turn I hadn't noticed before, &amp; followed it, something in the back of my head, &amp; no, not my alters, telling me to go down the path. After a few minutes, I noticed the side of a large, rocky cliff rise next to me &amp; the forest beginning to close in around the path, keeping me towards the center," I say, grinning as I see faces go blank in anticipation, their eyes searching mine.

"After a while, I notice a large bend coming in the path, &amp; I slow my pace, knowing that MetalHeads could very much as well be around that corner waiting for me. Up in the trees on a branch I notice a shift in the shadows &amp; stop, looking directly at the branch where I saw the movement, the shadow looking like it could have been watching me, but I just shove it out of my head, since I could see through the shadow to the other branches behind it, &amp; continue on underneath to the tiny clearing ahead of me," I say, pausing with a grin as the energy in the room seems to build, the feeling of suspense obvious in everyone's posture, face, &amp; eyes.

"Not even a second after I pass underneath that very branch, I hear a light growl behind &amp; above me, like it was accidental, &amp; I whip around, catching sight of Meldalvyna laying across the branch, like she had been there the whole time, but I had no idea that it was a sigh of relief turned accidental growl at the time, &amp; she played her part, standing on all four &amp; walking down the trunk of the tree head first, keeping her eyes on me the entire time. Once on the ground, she continued to walk at me on all four, &amp; I just backed away, not knowing what she was going to do to me, &amp; ended up tripping over the ONLY root in the entire damn path &amp; fall on my ass, loosing my gun in the process," I continue, pausing dramatically, using the only skill I've managed to learn &amp; use successfully from Daxter's constant talking. Everyone seems to lean their heads forward, waiting expectantly for the next part.

"She continues to walk towards me, her eyes trained on me, &amp; I scoot away, my back hitting a boulder in the small clearing we were in, &amp; even then, she just continues to get closer until her face is inches from mine, &amp; her eyes go immediately to my neck. She brings the end of her snout to my neck &amp; I just get the overwhelming feeling she's about to end me, &amp; close my eyes, ready for the bite, but instead, she sniffs, &amp; backs off to the other side of the small clearing &amp; sits a second later, &amp; we just sit there watching each other," I say, everyone else in the room looking between Meldalvyna &amp; me, their eyes full of surprise before refocusing on me, expecting more of the story.

"After a few minutes, I try to reach into my pack for the camera Torn had given me, only for her to growl. I watch as each time I begin to reach into my pack for the camera, she growls again until my hands exit the bag... I later learned that she thought I had another gun in the bag, so yeah, that's how we first met," I end with a chuckle at the memory, realizing the little bit of humor that had worked its way into our first meeting. Turning to Meldalvyna, I motion for her to begin her next part.

"That wasn't, however, how we first started talking to each other," Meldalvyna says seriously, drawing the crowd's attention to her, their eyes not as harsh as they had been when they first looked at her. Instead, their eyes are filled with expectancy, already curious as to what she has to say.

"It was the third time he had come to meet me, &amp; he had brought Daxter with him, &amp; a sort of peace offering of a yakkow steak. The first thing he did when he saw me was sit &amp; have Daxter open &amp; hand him a steak to give to me, which Jak set on a patch of stone in the ground infront of me. I sniffed it, checking for poisons &amp; other lethals, &amp; as I sniffed the meat, Daxter managed to take a picture of me. Finding it clean, I got an idea, the tree he had first seen me in was an orange tree, so I jumped into the tree branches &amp; picked a few of the fruits &amp; dead branches before using my tail as a rope &amp; flipping upside down infront of Jak, &amp; went off to where I knew some flint rock was once he took the oranges &amp; I set down the wood," She begins, a reminiscent smile spreading on her face to the memory as everyone's eyes became curious. Though not exactly right, I still feel a smile spreading across my face with the memory as well.

"Once I got the stones, I started a fire &amp; sliced up the meat with my tailblade. Once that was done, I grabbed the oranges from Jak, throwing them in the air &amp; jumping with them to slice them, catching them as I cut them, &amp; landed back next to the fire. I put the orange slices in a pattern with the steak slices on three sticks, one for Jak, Daxter, &amp; me, putting the steaks n' oranges above the fire to be cooked," Meldalvyna continues, the gentle smile only growing as she speaks, the crowd seeming to absentmindedly relax &amp; grin with her.

"As soon as we finished eating, I put out the fire, &amp; we sat for what only seemed a second. Unknown to Jak or Daxter, I caught the scent of an unknown number of MetalHeads surrounding us on the wooded side of the clearing. Acting on instinct, I tackled Jak &amp; Daxter to the ground &amp; pinned them there, defending the two from the approaching MetalHeads," she says, her tone no longer happy, but serious, her eyes hardening &amp; darting around the room, as if she is reliving the moment. Everyone in the crowd seems to snap out of their happy imaginations, their eyes widening in surprise.

"A second after I tackled them, I hear one leap out of the trees behind me, aimed straight for my back, &amp; while staying ontop of Jak &amp; Daxter, I lash out with my tail, effectively shoving my tailblade through the MetalHead's heart, then whip my tail around to knock over yet another MetalHead by flinging the dead one already on my tail. Diving off the two, I started fighting the multiple MetalHeads that came into the clearing, all of their attention on me &amp; off of Jak, until he joins the fight a minute or two later," she pauses, taking a deep a breath as she glancing at me with a half smile on her face out of the corner of her eye.

"A few more minutes into the ambush, I look over to Jak while fighting off a Grunt to see a MetalHead sneaking up behind an unaware Jak, who was being kept busy by a few other MetalHeads, &amp; just before it was about to pounce, I shout at Jak to get out of the way, talking to him for the first time, before I leap straight at the MetalHead, Jak getting out of the way just in time for me to tackle the Grunt to the ground &amp; kill it," Meldalvyna says, taking in another deep breath, her eyes showing a faded anger.

"Let's just say the rest of the fight was an example of what happens to MetalHeads when they piss her off, but yeah, that's pretty much how we started talking to each other," I say with a chuckle, looking to Meldalvyna with a fake scared expression, earning a few curious laughs from the crowd, their faces pulled in looks of puzzled interest.

"Talk about some introduction too, the next thing she told me was 'If you don't want to see a MetalHead's spine ripped out by its head, I'd suggest not watching' with an angry as hell look on her face, my best guess was that she wasn't too happy with the MetalHead that tried to get me from behind. I couldn't be more thankful though that she _did_ kill those MetalHeads" I laugh happily, rubbing the back of my neck as some of the squadron laugh, while the others just look at me like I'm insane. Meldalvyna bumps me with an arm, though there is a laughing smile spread across her face as well.

"Well you guys, now you know about Meldalvyna, &amp; you know that you can trust her to watch your back in a fight, but we still have two more things to do here. I'm going to ask exactly one person from each row what they didn't like about Meldalvyna before being here today," I say, letting my happy gaze fall to a stern stare around the room. Pointing to a random person in each row &amp; avoiding Carl &amp; Luke, I ask one soldier what they didn't like about the she-dragon next to me, each person sounding shy &amp; guilty with their reply. After a few minutes, I realize that the majority said that they didn't like the idea of something they had only heard stories about being in the Freedom League.

"Well, now that we have come to an understanding, &amp;, as far as I can tell, a form of trust, it is time for the final part of this meeting... now, if you have any questions to ask me, don't be shy, &amp; go right ahead," Meldalvyna says, looking around the room with a gentle, encouraging smile. A few hands raise, &amp; Meldalvyna answers each one. Most are about what she can do, while others are about her family, all of which she replies with a smile, along with a few of the more ridiculous questions that's answers were mentioned in the introductions &amp; stories, or were obvious in her appearance.

After all the questions are answered, the squadron leaves the room only to be replaced by a new one a few minutes later. The entire process of Meldalvyna's &amp; my presentation repeats so many times that I lose track after the fifth or sixth squadron, I can't remember exactly which one. By the time that squadrons stop coming into the conference &amp; mission briefing room, it's night &amp; twenty minutes past when Mel's &amp; my shift had ended. With exhaustion obvious in both of our faces, I lead Meldalvyna out of the room, only to be stopped by Torn just outside the door.

"Hello you two, how'd the meetings go?" the Chief of Arms asks, leaning against the wall, a mindless smile on his face, sitting back up to stand fully once he finished talking.

"Okay, Meldalvyna &amp; I believe that we've earned their trust, they really seemed to like how we met &amp; the whole MetalHead ambush story," I reply, holding in a yawn, resisting the urge to lean against the wall myself.

"Good to hear. Now, about me wanting to talk to you two... Ashelin is being pressured to talk with you &amp; your parents to come up with a document of peace, Meldalvyna," Torn says, looking at Meldalvyna, his eyes hard with concern.

"I can't just gather all the officials of Warfang's government into Haven City by tonight, Torn, this would have been good to hear earlier this morning. But in spite of that, I'll inform my parents of the problems at hand," Meldalvyna says, her eyes glittering with seriousness.

"How soon can you get those officials into Haven City?" Torn asks, a hand going to prop itself up on one of his hips with his question, fingers bent downward to match the concern &amp; curiosity on his face.

"Anywhere between seven to ten days, since it takes six days to go to &amp; from Warfang, but there's no guarantee that all the officials will be in Warfang, which is the reason for the extra days, but my family &amp; I are going to go to Warfang the morning after my birthday for the annual Winter Races &amp; Sparring matches, so maybe instead of the Warfang officials coming here, maybe the Haven officials could come with us to Warfang," Meldalvyna responds, a thoughtful look on her face.

"_Wait, her birthday hasn't come yet this year? So that means it's sometime this month_," Light says, his tone matching the surprise I feel in my heart.

"**Oh shit... I hope her birthday isn't too soon, we don't have anything for her if it's something like tomorrow**," Dark says, further surprising me with a sad, concerned tone, though I feel the same.

"When's your birthday?" I ask, unsuccessfully attempting to hide the sudden worry in my voice. Meldalvyna looks at me, a frown in her eyes as her face shows an expression of realization.

"Oh, that's right, I never told you when that was... My birthday is December 28th, so three weeks from tomorrow I'll be heading off to Warfang," Meldlvyna replies, a look of shy sadness on her face.

"_The twenty-eighth? That's not too close_," Light says, a slight sound of relief to his voice.

"**Yeah, but it's not too far away either... Jak, you'd better come up with some ideas for a Christmas AND a birthday present for our woman**," Dark says, his tone unhappy &amp; insistant, reminding both Light &amp; me of just how close the holiday &amp; her birthday are.

"Okay, that'll be fine, let's just hope the rest of Haven City Council will be willing to go on a seven or eight day trip to &amp; from Warfang, see you two tomorrow... and Jak, I'd suggest you go pick up some of your stuff from your apartment, because staying with Meldalvyna may be your best option for the coming nights," Torn says before turning around &amp; heading down one of the halls to the other parts of the HQ. Turning around with Meldalvyna in tow, I walk toward the door, preparing myself for not only the ocean of news reporters bound to be waiting for us just outside, but having to explain why I need to spend the night with Meldalvyna to Cynder.

"I'm going to be in some deep-ass shit," I think worriedly to myself with an inward sigh, trying to stop my imagination from coming up with different scenarios of Cynder's possible reactions, all of them involving me getting vividly ripped to pieces or mortally wounded.

Glancing to Meldalvyna just before the doorway, I see her hood already up over her head, her horns creating an odd, crown-like shape in the fabric. Turning back towards the door, I take a deep breath before pushing the door open, the bright flashes of cameras blinding my eyes, the streams of demanding questions making my ears hurt. Pushing through the crowd of people, I pull Meldalvyna to the awaiting air-tran, the back of the zoomer already open &amp; hovering a few inches off the ground.

**Author's Note:** Weeelllll, this chapter took a while to type, &amp; I kinda had to wing it with how I wanted to get to the next point of the story, but there you go! So, Jak gets to spend the night (or nights, hehe) with Mel... trust me, it's not going to be very fun for him, no sirree, mwuahahaha! Until next time (whenever that may be), tigerdj98 out! :D


	34. Problems & Bites

**Author's Note:** Hello all, &amp; welcome to chapter 34! **Sorry that I was so late in posting this chapter! School got in the way so hard it isn't even funny, so don't blame me, blame my teachers for giving me homework every day so far this week.**

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalyvna's POV**

Jak pulls me through the crowd &amp; into the waiting air-tran so fast I nearly trip over the top of the hatch serving as the ramp into the transport zoomer as I stumble into the vehicle. Once inside, the door closes just as fast as we ascend, if not faster, cutting the barrage of questions &amp; bright flashes to a final, quick end. Standing once I find my footing again, I find a spot on one of the metal benches in the air-tran &amp; take a much appreciated seat while pulling down my hood, sighing as I relax for what feels like the first time since the meetings began.

"Carl, Luke, there's been a change of plans. I need to stop at my apartment to pick up a few things, &amp; will get off at Meldalvyna's drop-point," Jak says, standing just behind the two pilots, each arm holding up his leaning frame against the backs of their seats.

"Sure thing, Jak," Luke says as the transport zoomer lurches forward towards its first destination, indicating it has stopped ascending. With a nod &amp; a smile, Jak turns &amp; walks over to where I'm sitting, taking a seat next to me, grabbing one of my hands, idly holding it in his lap with one of his own hands.

"_So, Jak is going to stay at my house for who knows how long, &amp; my parents won't know why until I tell them... I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do_," I think to myself with a sigh, allowing myself to lean against Jak lightly.

"You alright Mel?" Jak asks, looking at me with ammused concern, scanning my face for any signs of stress.

"Yeah, I'm alright, just a bit tired really, that &amp; I'm dreading having to explain this all to my mother," I reply with a deep breath, holding in a yawn that threatens to burst from my mouth any second.

"Jak, there's a crowd around your apartment building's entrance, what do you want us to do?" Carl asks, turning back towards us with a look of concern.

"I want you to land the opening of this thing as close to the front doors as possible," Jak answers, going to stand between the two pilots, a serious look spreading across his face.

"_Well that was fast, I guess he mustn't live too far away from the Freedom League HQ_," I think to myself with a mental sigh, sitting up a little so I don't lean against my wings &amp; end up with a wing-sore.

"But their crowded in that area," Luke says, looking up to Jak, his brows furrowed in curiosity.

"Just start to descend above them, they'll move," Jak retorts, turning &amp; walking towards the back of the vehicle &amp; standing patiently infront of the hatch. Carl &amp; Luke look at each other, an expression of unease between them.

"Alright then," Carl says with a small waver to his voice as the air-tran comes to a halt &amp; begins to descend. A loud thump signals the landing of the transport zoomer a few seconds later, the door to the vehicle dropping quickly, Jak bounding out of the air-tran as soon as the hatch touches the ground infront of him. A few minutes of sitting in the transport zoomer in silence later, Jak comes running out of the front doors of the building &amp; into the back of the vehicle carrying a few pairs of pants along with a few shirts in each hand. The door of the air-tran closes as it ascends back into the air &amp; takes off towards my drop point, Jak dropping himself next to me on the metal bench.

What seems like only two minutes later, the transport zoomer lands &amp; the back hatch opens, Jak &amp; I walking out of the rear of the vehicle once the vehicle touches the ground after waiving goodbye to Carl &amp; Luke. The walk goes in silence until we reach the front door of my house, the nervousness between us electric in the air.

"You ready Mel?" Jak asks, looking to me with an anxious grin, the scent of his anxiety lifting off him &amp; tainting his scent.

"Why are you asking me? You're the one who has to spend the night," I answer with a grin, Jak's eyes widening in realization, whipping his gaze back to the door infront of us, searching the thing for movement before swallowing in trepidation. Taking a deep breath, I push open the door &amp; pull Jak in behind me as I walk through the doorway &amp; into the house. Once inside the living room, I move to bring Jak to my couch, only to be stopped by a seated Hunter, looking like he just woke up.

"Hello Meldalvyna &amp; Jak, you were out late," Hunter says while standing, a pleasant smile on his face, though his scent is concerned.

"Hi Hunter... work just lasted a long time today, our shift actually ended about thirty minutes ago," I smile, Hunter relaxing to my explanation before his gaze switches to Jak, a coming question obvious in his eyes.

"What is wrong Jak?" Hunter asks, his ears tipped in curiosity &amp; his eyes spelling worry, no doubt noticing the nervous look in Jak's posture.

"Um, well, we were actually about to call Spyro &amp; Cynder in here so Mel &amp; I can discuss it with them," Jak responds, his voice as anxious as his posture, though far more contained &amp; level. Hunter nods in understanding before sitting back down in his pile of pillows, permitting us to pass him. Pulling Jak to the couch, I let him sit down before I walk off to find my parents.

"_They're probably in their room_," I think to myself as I walk down the hall towards their chamber. At their door, I knock on the thick collection of dark wooden planks, held together by a thick iron sheet &amp; plently of hammer-sized nails. The door swings open a second or two later, revealing my stepfather's large purple face, the question of what I wanted signaled gently in his face.

"Um, Jak &amp; I need to tell you guys something, it's very important, &amp; it concerns all of us, maybe even how we do things around here," I respond to the silent inquiry, my voice serious as a shock of nervousness runs up my spine. Spyro's face pulls into a surprised frown before he nods, turning around to call my mother to come out with him. Walking back into the main den, Jak looks up to me, a slightly worried look on his face as I come to sit down next to him, watching as my parents take their seats, a serious expression on their faces.

"So, what is it that you want to tell us?" Cynder asks, her voice unusually soft &amp; gentle, her tone visibly throwing Jak off for a second, one of his eyebrows flinging upwards as his lips pull back into a half-frown for less than a second.

"Well, mom, a problem has come up at work. You see... when Jak &amp; I went out to get that new outfit, apparently sometime before yesterday, the owner of the shop showed the security footage to some of his buddies, &amp; then that spread to the media of Haven City," I begin as my hands beging to fidget nervously in my lap, my throat feeling like it had gone through a blasting of my stepfather's Fire Element. Spyro's &amp; Cynder's eyebrow ridges fly up in surprise.

"Today when we came to the Freedom League HQ we were swamped by news reporters, which we had to shove our way through, &amp; Chief of Arms Torn informed us that Ashelin is having many questions asked about Meldalvyna, not a lot of which she can answer. We had to go through many squadrons today introducing Mel to them, gaining each of their trust, &amp; we still have more to do tomorrow, until we gain the trust of the entire FL," Jak says, his voice &amp; posture calm &amp; collected, while his eyes &amp; scent scream anxiety.

"This means that the Council of Warfang will end up having to meet up with the Council of Haven City some point, &amp; I told Torn about our trip to Warfang after my birthday as a suggestion, so our people don't have to come to a place where they don't fit in the rooms. Because of this problem, reporters have also been hounding the building Jak is living in, &amp; he is going to need to stay here until the problem clears out to a more desirable state," I say, finishing the relay for Jak, not wanting to stress him more than he obviously already is. Spyro &amp; Cynder stiffen at the sudden information, their faces drawn into ones of concern &amp; surprise. After a second of tense silence, they both relax, the purple dragon a bit faster than his wife, but the room seems to exhale with their relaxing.

"Jak may stay here for as long as he needs to, but he will have to stay in a different room than you Mel, for obvious reasons," Cynder says, her voice serious until the very end, a smirk creasing one side of her face. Cynder chuckles as Jak &amp; I blush, &amp; I whisper a plaintive, embarassed 'mom', Spyro &amp; Hunter just shaking their heads with a smile on their faces.

"So, your boss Torn would be willing to travel to Warfang, &amp; he just has to convince the rest of the Haven City Council that is the best option for both parties?" Spyro asks, trying to confirm the information, his face puzzled &amp; curious.

"Yes, &amp; I agree with it, it'd be easier to transport Haven's council than bringing Warfang's Council here, if your heights are anything to go off of," Jak answers before I can get a single word in, a light, relieved smile on his face.

"Well, I guess that can be arranged, &amp; we can inform the rest of the Warfang Council of the Council of Haven City's arrival pretty soon. Hunter, do you think you could tell the Council of the news when you leave overmorrow?" the purple dragon asks, turning to Hunter with a friendly smile on his face. Hunter nods, an understanding look on his face accompanied by a small smile not too unlike my stepfather's. A long, awkward silence fills the room, no one making a move to speak.

"Sooo... where will I be sleeping?" Jak asks after a few seconds, breaking the quiet with his curiosity, his voice edgy.

"You can sleep here in the living room, or you can share the room upstairs with Hunter, whichever you like. I'd suggest the den, but if Sparx catches you asleep, he may mess with you... the last time I slept out it the open, that little bug got to me, &amp; I woke up painted pink, horns &amp; all... it took forever to get the stuff off," Cynder replies, a reminiscent frown on her face at the memory. Jak's eyes widen in surprise as I hold back a laugh, remembering seeing my mother that fatefull day quite well.

"I'll share the room with Hunter, if that alright with him of course," Jak says quickly, looking to Hunter, pleading hope lighting up his dark blue eyes.

"Of course, there is plenty of space in the room, &amp; even though there is not a second bed, I know that you can figure out how to make one out of the cushions from here in the den," Hunter says, a teasing, knowing smile on his face, Jak's face pulling into one of embarassement as a hand moves to rub the back of his neck.

"Well, that went way easier than expected," I say, forcing a fake smile on my face, something in the back of my mind screaming that it isn't over yet, that the rest of tomorrow is only going to get worse, &amp; maybe even the coming days as well.

**Jak's POV**

"Of course, there is plenty of space in the room, &amp; even though there is not a second bed, I know that you can figure out how to make one out of the cushions from here in the den," Hunter says, a teasing, knowing smile on his face, &amp; I can't help but feel embarassed, subconsciously rubbing the back of my neck.

"Well, that went way easier than expected," Meldalvyna says with a forced smile &amp; a fake tone of happiness. Looking at her, I try to figure out why she isn't as relieved as I am.

"_Maybe she's fearing the chance her parents have of embarassing her_," Light suggests, his tone thoughtful &amp; just as curious as I am.

"**I don't know about you two, but I've got a feeling we are going to royally screw up if we don't pay attention some point either today or tomorrow**," Dark says, his voice doubful &amp; a bit angry.

"Okay, so I'll go start cooking dinner, does yakkow steaks sound good to all of you?" Spyro asks, standing with a smile. Everyone in the room says yes, &amp; Spyro walks off in the direction of the hall where I'm pretty sure his bedroom is, while Cynder follows behind him &amp; Hunter leaves up the stairwell. Meldalvyna stands up next to me &amp; starts to walk off as well, &amp; I barely have time to stop her before she's out of my reach.

"Hey, where you goin'?" I ask, not wanting to be left alone, catching her by the arm as she looks at me with a blank face for a few seconds before finalling coming into a remembering expression.

"Oh, I was going to go clean myself up for dinner &amp; change into something different," Meldalvyna answers, a genuine, apologetic smile taking her lips.

"Do you mind if I come with you? The only places I've been in here are the kitchen &amp; den, so I don't really know my way around the place," I say, not knowing where the room I'm going to be sharing with Hunter is.

"Sure, follow me, I'll show you around," Meldalvyna says, pulling me up into a standing position with a smile on her face, seeming to bring me up with ease. Following behind Meldalvyna, she leads me down the same hall her parents went down.

"Okay, so, the first door is the bathroom, the one a bit further down is my parents' room, &amp; the one on the very end is the meat fridge, which is where we preserve all our food," Meldalvyna says as we walk down to the first door, pausing infront of it while she speaks.

"Okay, I'm going to go in &amp; wash my face real quick, I'll be out in a second," Meldalvyna says as she walks into the bathroom &amp; closes the door before I realize what she even said, suddenly alone in the huge hallway. True to her word, Meldalvyna comes out a minute or two later, her face glistening slightly in the torchlight, still moist with water. With a quick smile, Meldalvyna leads the way back into the living room &amp; to the base of the stairs before turning around quickly to face me, causing me to almost walk right into her.

"Oops, sorry about that. Anyways, when we go up the stairs, make sure to step on the same ones I do, because some of the stairs have been replaced time &amp; again, but never get any sturdier, so I would just avoid them completely," Meldalvyna warns, motioning with a backward nod of her head towards the stairs. Leaning to the side to see around Meldalvyna, I look up the stairwell at the each of the steps.

"**It doesn't even look like a single one of those steps are stable**," Dark remarks doubtfully as I shift my eyes down the stairwell one stair at a time, my doubt on the security of each step steadily swelling.

"_We must have more faith with Meldalvyna, she walks up &amp; down them every morning, we just have to watch &amp; memorize which steps to stand on_," Light says encouragingly, making a very obvious point, though it doesn't really help the massing uncertainty at the durability of the passage ahead of us.

"I know it looks scary, but trust me, as long as you step on the stairs I do you'll be okay," Meldalvyna promises, grabbing my shoulder with a hand &amp; giving it a light squeeze, a light smile on her midnight face, sincerity glittering in her emerald-&amp;\- Green Eco eyes. With a nod from me, Meldalvyna begins to slowly walk up the stairs, &amp; I follow behind her, watching every single footstep intensly.

"I hope you remember those steps the next time you want to come upstairs or else you'll risk a leg going through one," Meldalvyna chuckles when she notices my expression of relief when I reach the top of the stairwell behind her.

"I hope I remember those also, you're going to go slow back down them when we come back down, right?" I ask, wanting to make sure I know the sequence for later when I have to walk both up &amp; down them.

"Yes, I will, don't worry. Okay, so, to the left in that hall closet over there is Sparx's room," Meldalvyna says, motioning to a shuddered-closet door at the end of the hall, a small end table standing flush with the wall at the end of the hall next to the closet door.

"Wait, that's Sparx's room? Isn't that a little small, even for someone his size?" I ask, the revelation a complete surprise, knowing that being about Sparx's height, Daxter wouldn't want to call that his room.

"Oh, it's bigger on the inside, it's an okay-sized walk-in closet, not too big of one, but big enough for Sparx's liking," Meldalvyna replies with a small, circular wave of her hand, a smile on her face.

"So it's bigger than it suggests, okay, that makes more sense," I say with a nod as I cross my arms across my chest &amp; switch to a more comfortable position.

"Anyways, to the right is where my room is &amp; the room where you &amp; Hunter will be sleeping. My room is the first one on the right, the next one is a bathroom, but it is inoperable, &amp; the last room is the one you'll be sharing with Hunter," Meldalvyna says, motioning to each room respectably as she speaks.

"Okay, so I guess I'll have to wait for you to get changed before I can learn the step-sequence in reverse," I say, gesturing to her bedroom door with a nod of my head.

"Oh, right, I'll be back in a minute," Meldalvyna says with a happy tone, rushing into her room &amp; closing the door behind her in a hurry. The sound of creaking floor boards made dull &amp; quiet coming through the door signal her movements across her room, the movements quick &amp; repetetive.

A few seconds later, the creaking sounds start coming towards me, the door to her room opening less than a second later. As Meldalvyna exits her room, I notice she is in her silver steel outifit. As she walks towards me, the left side of her top &amp; skirt catch the torchlight perfectly, her skin &amp; hair glittering beautifully in the orange glow of the torch. A smile comes uncontrollably to my lips as she approaches, the look causing her to pause next to me, a curious grin on her face.

"What's that look for?" Meldalvyna asks with a chuckle, a single eyebrow raised in smiling curiosity. With a smirk of my own, I grab her around the waist &amp; pull her in for a kiss, my smirk widening into a full blown smile when she giggles against my lips.

"I see now... you must really like me in this outfit," Meldalvyna smirks after we pull apart, her eyes glittering dangerously &amp; her grin alluring. I nod once, the grin still on my face, raising my eyebrows as I motion my agreement.

"You know dragons don't kiss, they do something somewhat _different_," Meldalvyna says with a grin, finding myself pulled against her yet again. With a dangerous smirk, she reaches her face into the crook of my neck, her breathing steady on my shoulder before a wave of hot breath hits the top of my exposed neck. A second later, I feel her smooth, finely-tipped tongue glide from my neck to my jaw. Just before she reaches the edge of my goatee, she retracts her tongue from my jawbone, only to give it a light nip, her sharp canines scratching my skin, the feeling sending passionate shocks like the electric tingle of Blue Eco through my body.

Pulling away from me, she looks at me, the toothy smile on her lips like that of a wild animal about to slaughter its prey, her eyes searching my face like a hungry MetalHead. The expression sending a barely controlled shiver down my spine, my mind telling me to bite her back somewhere on the neck, my instincts telling me to run like hell &amp; not look back.

"Uh, that was... that was... pleasant," I say shyly, attempting to come down from the high while rubbing the back of my neck. Meldalvyna only chuckles evilly before walking past me &amp; to the top of the stairs.

"Well, aren't you going to come down stairs with me?" Meldalvyna asks, looking back to me with a raise of her eyebrow ridge, an innocent, curious smile on her lips, as if nothing had happened.

"Uh, yeah, I'm coming... I'm just going to drop off my clothes in the room I'll be in first," I say as I turn &amp; speed walk to the room indicated by Meldalvyna as being the one I'll share with Hunter until he goes back to Warfang. Knocking before I enter to make sure it is alright to come in, I walk in, drop my clothes &amp; other things on a table in the room in a neat pile, &amp; immediately walk back out of the room back to Meldalvyna.

With a single nod, Meldalvyna starts on her way slowly down the stairs as I mirror each of her steps, following her exact path down the stairwell, careful to not mistep, even once. Once back down in the living room a few seconds later, I'm greeted by the scent of cooking meat, the smell making my mouth water as I walk over to the couch to sit by Meldalvyna &amp; wait for dinner.

An hour or two later, we each grab a portion of the yakkow steak &amp; return to our respective seats around the blazing fire in the middle of the room, each of us happily munching away at the juicy meat, save Sparx who had cooked his own meal. Washing my own plate so Spyro doesn't have to, Meldalvyna comes up behind me &amp; sneaks a kiss to the cheek as she drops her plate into the sink while my hands are in the water, bumping me with her tail as she turns &amp; walks off, a laugh trailing behind her.

"Dark, I think you're wrong about that bad feeling earlier, 'cuz so far, everything is going fine," I say to him mentally, a happy smile on my face as I put my &amp; Meldalvyna's plates on the bottom of the stack of drying dishes in the sink next to the water-filled one.

"**I don't know Jak. I still can't shake the feeling that we're going to royally screw up tomorrow,**" Dark says with a small groan-like growl, his tone doubtful &amp; unsure.

"_I must agree with Jak, Dark, I do not see what you are so worried about, I do not feel anything menacing about tomorrow_," Light says, earning a thoughtful huff from Dark before he goes quiet. Turning my attention back to drying off my hands, I push the thoughts about Dark's instincts to the back of my mind, not bothering with them. The rest of the night goes in happy conversation, Cynder along with everyone else sharing laughs. Hours later into the night, I find my way back up the stairs without messing up once &amp; get ready to sleep, changing into a pair of loose shorts &amp; muscle shirt, falling asleep nearly as soon as my head hits the pillow.

**Author's Note:** So, it took me forever to type this chapter... anyways, again, I am sorry for posting this so late, like I said, I had homework every day of the week so far (&amp; it's only the first week of school too), so don't blame me. I hope you all liked this chapter, 'cuz I liked typing it (though it took way longer than I wanted it to)! Until next time, tigerdj98 signing out!


	35. A Starry-Eyed Night

**Author's Note:** Hello all, &amp; welcome to chapter 35 of this story! Sorry for being so late, but school has been getting in the way. **POSTING DAYS WILL BE SHIFTED TO SUNDAY BECAUSE OF FOOTBALL GAMES &amp; HOMEWORK (I'm in the High School band this year).**

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**THIS CHAPTER IS IN **_**MELDALVYNA'S**_** POV ****ONLY****!**

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Waving goodnight to Jak before he disappears from my sight into his shared room with Hunter, I walk into my own room, closing the door behind me with my tail as I approach my bed, my night clothes flung messily on the mattress. Stripping myself of my steel clothes, I put on my ragged, tree-bark brown cloth clothes while walking aimlessly around the room.

"_**I really need to make a new set of pajamas, these are too small for me**_," I think to myself, the sound of seams popping fills the air as I slide into my belly shirt &amp; tie it behind my back underneath my wings. Wiggling into my shorts, the sound of even more seams popping fill the room, making me question the integrity of the string used to hold the cloth together. Finally into my night clothes, I lay down in my bed &amp; arrange my blankets around myself. Once my blankets are straightened out &amp; I'm comfortable, I click my tongue, the magic Spyro warped into my lanterns causing them to go out with the simple motion. A few minutes later, I feel myself begin to drift, &amp; give in to the siren calls of sweet slumber.

The feeling of warm sunlight hits my eyelids, Jak's scent hitting my nose. Opening my eyes, I'm blinded by the mid-afternoon sunlight for a second before my eyes can adjust, finding myself leaning up against the bolder where I first met Jak.

"_**How'd I get outside, shouldn't I be in the house in my room**_?" I think to myself once I realize where I am. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I smell Jak's scent again, &amp; notice something not quite right about it, but I can't place what's wrong with it. Looking over to my left, I see Jak, his eyes closed &amp; a peaceful smile on his face, his face turned towards the sunlight. Looking over him, I feel like there is something off about his appearance, though I can't place it. His eyes suddenly snap open &amp; he looks at me, his smile loving &amp; his eyes happy. After looking at me for a second, his face pulls into an expression of worried curiosity.

"What's wrong, Mel?" Jak asks, his voice even seeming to have something wrong with it, almost too fluid, too soft, but I still can't figure out what is off, not only about Jak, but about everything around me.

"How'd I get outside? Wasn't I just in bed?" I ask in return, watching as Jak's face becomes even more puzzled by my question, the look of worry in his eyes becoming more obvious.

"We've been out here for two hours now... it's three pm," Jak answers, an eyebrow raising as he speaks. I lean back against the bolder, trying to remember coming outside, but my mind is as blank as pure snow.

"Do you not remember?" Jak asks, worry &amp; curiosity now even in severity in his voice &amp; on his face. Shaking my head for an answer, Jak hums his concern in a single syllable, looking into the forest in thought.

"Why aren't we working?" I ask after a minute, the question causing Jak to return his attention to me.

"Torn gave us the day off, he said it is too risky for us to be in the city right now," Jak responds, his worried expression lessening as a glare of thought flashes through his eyes, a small smirk trying to tug a corner of his mouth upward.

"What's that little smirk for?" I ask with a small smile as Jak's eyes slide across my face &amp; body, his smirk seeming to grow.

"Oh nothing... have you ever been to the Precursor Temples in the Mountain Pass?" Jak asks, his head tilting to the side with his question as his smirk turns into a soft smile, his eyes holding a plan.

"No, but I like to fly over them every once in a while," I answer, a smile coming to my face as well at the memories of flying over the beautiful bronze structures, &amp; how they remind me of the Dojo in the Swamps where my stepfather grew up.

"Well then I guess I should give you the grand tour then," Jak says while standing up, offering a hand for me to grab &amp; pull myself up with once fully straightened. Taking his offer, I come to stand next to him. Keeping my hand in his, we begin to walk towards where the paths to the Forest &amp; Mountain Pass meet. Minutes later, the large chasm that separates the forest from the pass comes into view.

"How are we supposed to get across?" I ask, looking over the passage way with concern &amp; curiosity.

"We take the Precursor Lift" Jak answers, motioning to the little platform floating idly above the gorge, the rim of it seeming to barely scrape against the edge of the seeminly bottomless abyss. Observing the ancient device, I realize how small it is, &amp; simply shake my head.

"I think I'll just fly over it, so we don't have to stand on each other's toes," I say, walking up to an area of the edge where I have a clear take-off, Jak following just behind me.

"I don't think you should, I mean, this chasm isn't that wide, &amp; your wing-span is pretty large," Jak says, looking between me &amp; the gorge walls with concern in his eyes. With a sigh &amp; a soft smile, I walk up next to Jak, &amp; we step onto the Precursor Lift together, Jak holding me close to his body, making sure I won't fall off. With a small lurch, the Lift begins to move at a moderate pace through the abyss, Jak's arm tightening around my waist as we go around corners. Minutes later, we come to a stop on the opposite side of the chasm, Jak gently pulls me off the ancient lift, his hand wrapped around mine as he leads me to another gap, this time the lift flipped upside down.

"Damnit! The one thing I use to flip this damn thing over, &amp; I forget to bring the fuckin' thing," Jak suddenly growls, surprising me with his abrupt anger, the scent of his annoyance coming in rapid thickness.

"What exactly did you forget?" I ask, holding back a chuckle as he slaps a hand over his face &amp; drags it down, stretching his lip &amp; one of his lower eyelids, an exasperated sigh escaping his throat.

"My morph gun, I use it to flip the lift over so I can cross, &amp; that's what I was going to do, but I left it at your house," Jak answers, dropping his hand to his side, a disappointed look in his eyes.

"How, exactly?" I ask, looking over to his with a small tip of my head, knowing full well he couldn't tip it over by leaning over the side &amp; pushing it with his gun.

"I shoot the Precursor Lift near the point at the top of it, which is actually the bottom, so that it'll flip over," he answers pointing to a dull, rugged &amp; bumpy area near the tip of the lift.

"_**Maybe I could flip it over... yeah, I could use Wind or Poison... no, Poison might melt the metal or splash, maybe Fear... no, that might bounce off &amp; hit Jak, &amp; Shadow won't work... Wind it is then**_," I think to myself, trying to figure out a way to flip the lift over, knowing that there wasn't enough room around, under, or above the lift to fly around &amp; carry Jak at the same time.

"I have an idea, how long does that thing stay upright?" I ask, looking to Jak with a hopeful expression.

"A little less than 10 seconds," Jak answers, an eyebrow raising in intrigued curiosity, the question as to why written clearly in his eyes.

"I might be able to flip it over then, but I'll need to use my Wind," I say, walking up near the edge of the cliff, getting as close to the Precursor Lift without falling off. Jak's eyes light up in curious excitement, nodding his head in a quick, eager movement.

"_**Maybe I should do an aerial charge at it... yeah, since just using my plain Wind wouldn't work**_,"I ponder to myself, looking over the lift with a hand on my hip, my lower lip pursed in thought. Backing up a good distance &amp; jumping into the air, I hover in place &amp; steady myself, building the courage to ram the device head on, as well as the energy to use my Element. With a deep breath, I shoot forward, releasing the energy of my Wind in a single, powerful burst just before my target, spinning in tight barrel rolls to hit the Precursor Lift like a bullet, successfully knocking over the lift with the move.

"Hell yeah! That was kick-ass," Jak says as I come to a landing on the opposite side of the seemingly bottomless ravine, leaping across the gaps, walking up to my side with a happy smile on his face, &amp; I can't help but smile at his joyful gait &amp; expression. Capturing my hand in his yet again, Jak leads me to the center of a large circular platform, the thing suddenly lurching downward almost as soon as we reach the center of the apparent elevator.

"Oh Ancestors, it's beautiful," I gasp in awe, the side of the Precursor Temple coming into perfect view as we descend, its bronze walls glittering beautifully in the sun &amp; torch light, the entire opening of the temple shaped like a key hole.

"Well, you haven't seen the inside of it yet, that &amp; there's three more Precursor Temples, but I think we only have enough sunlight for me to show you this one &amp; one other," Jak says as the elevator comes to a stop, leading me off &amp; towards the stunning structure, looking upward with a slightly upset expression.

"It's okay, lead on," I say, squeezing his hand with a smile on my face. With a smile of his own, he gently pulls me forward &amp; eventually into the first temple. I can't help but gasp as we walk towards the center of the grand area, looking up &amp; to the beautifully crafted &amp; detailed ceilings &amp; columns, the entire place seeming to glow with inner light.

"Come on, we still have another Precursor Temple to visit," Jak says after a minute of my quiet, happy exploring, my hand stopping its tracing of the text on the columns so I can rush over &amp; rewrap it around Jak's hand. Grinning, he leads me back in the direction where we came from, only to take a right, going down I a path I had not seen on the first pass-through.

"Okay, all the temples are a bit hard to get to, but this way has some pretty cool Precursor tech in it," Jak says as we walk, a smile on his face, leading me to a small cliff, easily surmounted with a powerful jump. Jak jumps up first, using his hands to pull himself up the final little stretch of distance onto his knees, &amp; I follow behind him quickly, earning a surprised look as I land on my two feet, not having to grab onto the ledge with my hands to get up. Continueing down the path, as treacherous as it is beautiful, we finally reach the second Precursor Temple.

"Go ahead, I've seen it all before, besides, I like to watch you explore it," Jak says, a small, loving smile on his face as he releases my hand, leaning against the wall. With a smile of my own &amp; a happy nod, I turn &amp; explore the new scenery, walking slowly as I look up to the ceiling, observing all the engravings as I try to read them, sadly to no avail. After a few minutes of content venturing &amp; observing, running my fingertips along the walls, I trace my way slowly back to Jak.

"Done already? I thought you'd want me to translate or something," Jak says, a small chuckle in his voice as he sits back up, his face pulled in a relaxed, gentle grin.

"Nah, I prefer the mystery of it, it makes it all the more beautiful," I grin, grabbing Jak's hand &amp; giving it a little swing, earning a curious smile from Jak, his head tilting to the side as a single eyebrow raises. With a laughing shake of his head, Jak pulls me towards the opposite side of the large, wall-less room to another Precursor Lift.

"Hey, what's that over there?" I ask, noticing a large pile of Precursor artifacts scattered ontop of a large, Precursor Bronze pillar, Jak's face blanching nearly an entire shade whiter as his eyes go wide at the pile of metal devices in view I'm pointing at.

"Uh... that USED to be a Precursor device, until Daxter took a tiny little gear out of it, which ended being the only thing suspending all the pieces in the air," Jak answers, his voice guilty as he strains Daxter's name, making a point that it was the Ottsel's fault the thing fell apart, &amp; not his. With an understanding nod from me, we step onto the lift together, the thing taking off &amp; floating back towards the main temple.

"So, what now, we still have an hour or two of sunlight to kill before we have to head back," I say once we step off the Precursor Lift &amp; back onto solid ground, looking between Jak &amp; the setting sun with idle curiosity &amp; a growing feeling of future boredom.

"I don't know, I'm thinking we could just head back to where we met &amp; relax a little more, like we did this morning," Jak suggests with a shrug of his shoulders as we walk out of the temple &amp; back towards the elevator. With a shrug of my own, we continue on our way towards the Precursor Lift back into the forest. Just before the lift, Jak stops dead in his tracks, nearly making me trip over him as he looks at me with an idea evident in his eyes, only for it to be replaced with a gentle smile.

"Hey, Light wants to talk to you, you don't mind sitting with him for a while, do you?" Jak asks, the smile on his face almost impossible for me to say no to.

"Sure, if he wants to, &amp; if you don't mind," I reply with a smile &amp; a shrug of my shoulder, releasing Jak's hand after he nods. Within a few seconds, Jak's skin pales &amp; begins to glow an aqua blue, tentacle-like wings of the same color sprouting from his back, &amp; Jak's scent being flooded with the smell of Light Eco. Opening his eyes, I see Jak's eyes replaced with Light's glowing white ones, a gentle, sagely smile creasing his lips when he turns his face towards me.

"Hello Light, how have you been?" I greet with a single, deep nod, Light's arms crossing behind his back as he walks closer to me.

"_I have been fine, thank you. You look amazing this afternoon, love_," Light compliments, gesturing towards me with a single nod of his head. Looking down, I realize I'm clothed in the outfit Jak bought me.

"Thank you, Light," I blush, noticing that he is still looking me over, a small, half-smirk on his lips, "so, did you want to talk to me about anything?"

"_I just want to be in your presence physically, &amp; not stuck in Jak's mind_," Light answers, bringing one of his hands up &amp; placing it on my cheek, stroaking the side of my face with his thumb. Before I can even react, much less have any time to blush at his statement, he leans forward &amp; gives me a huge, passionate kiss, taking me completely surprise, his arms wrapping around my sides.

His lips are cool with his Eco against my own, the sensation feeling like he had just drank cold water. His hands begin to snake up the center of my back, passing over the extremely sensitive area of skin between my wings, the feeling making me uncontrollably shiver. Still, he pushes against my lips with his own, each of his movements seeming to become more &amp; more frantic, until finally we both topple over onto the grassy ground, Light landing ontop of me.

"Light... wha-what is this all about?" I gasp once we part, greedily sucking in air as my mind tries to make sense of what just happened.

"_I love &amp; want you, just as much as Jak &amp; Dark do_," Light says with a quiet growl before kissing my neck, the scent of his lust almost thick enough in the air to taste. I lift my arms to try to push him off me, only for Light to push them back down, scooting his lower half up my body so he can hold me down while kissing me at the same time a little easier.

"L-Light, you remember what I told Jak about teasing a dragoness... ah-I wasn't exaggerating when I said that," I say with a small gasp as Light runs his tongue up the center of my neck to the tip of my lower jaw &amp; nips my chin, trying to reason with him before I break from the tension he's causing, a hot ball collecting in my lower stomach. Light stops for a second &amp; looks up at my face.

"_Of course I remember... &amp; I know you weren't exaggerating_," Light says, a sly, dirty smirk spreading across his lips, a husky chuckle rumbling from his chest. Leaning forward, he kisses me again, working his tongue into my mouth, his movements passionate &amp; greedy, trying to tease me into either submitting to him or giving into my own emotions.

"_**No, no... you can't give in, not to yourself, not right now**__..._," I repeat in my head, trying to surpress my own urge to give in &amp; move with him, possibly even dominate him, a growl of anger as his motions make it even harder for me to resist. Light pauses at my growl, looking into my face, the expression of concern written on his face.

"_Are you alright, love_?" Light asks, the tone of love &amp; worry in his voice pushing me over the edge of control over myself. With a wanting growl of my own, I shove my entire strength against Light, effectively flipping him onto his back before I straddle him, pinning him to the ground, my vision slowly but steadily blurring with passion.

"_Mel, what's wro-_"

"Shut up &amp; kiss me," I growl out, interrupting Light with a needy, rough kiss, my body starting to work subconciously as I work my fingers into Light's hair. A loud gasp exits Light's throat as I bite down hard on his shoulder, small droplets of blood coming to the surface of his skin, only for me to lap up each bead of blood, kissing each area after I remove my teeth.

"_Meldalvyna... th-that hurts... not so hard... I-I'll run out of Eco faster if I bleed_," Light growls lustily, his back subconsciously arching up to meet my stomach, pushing against my lower arms while his fingers dig into my biceps. Leaning forward, I kiss his cheek, working backward from there to his hairline

"You're **mine** now," I snarl in his ear, working my hands underneath his shirt &amp; onto his back, dragging my tongue up the length of his ear as far as I could reach, lightly dragging my claws down from between his shoulderblades towards his stomach, earning a throaty, hissing groan from Light.

"_Mel... I... I can't hold out much longer, I'm losing Eco_," Light gasps as I nip at his neck, lightly sliding my against his skin. Light moans as my hands run up his hard, toned stomach, dragging my claws lightly back down his stomach after reaching his collar.

"_Meldalvyna, don't... don't do that... I can't heal myself if you continue that... I... I can't stay out any longer_," Light says, a tone of worry in his voice inbetween heavy breathes, the once strong scent of Light's signature Eco starting to be overpowered by Jak's. With one final gasp, the blue glow leaves Light's body &amp; his scent disappears, being replaced with Jak's tan &amp; scent.

"Mel? What's going on? Why is there blood on your lips?" Jak asks, looking up to me with worried confusion. After a second, Jak realizes the position we're in, his confused expression quickly changing to one of surprise, the tips of his ears &amp; his cheeks turning red as his eyes go wide. I grin teasingly down at him, taking one of my hands out from underneath his shirt &amp; onto his face, stroking his cheek with my thumb gently as the effects of my 'teasing' begins to wear off.

"You &amp; Light were about to... oh Precursors... ah-and you're..." Jak stutters, his face becoming even redder. With a laugh, I lean down &amp; kiss him, forcing him to stop talking. Parting, I pat his shoulder &amp; get off him, offering a hand for him to pull himself up with.

"I didn't start it, he did... I tried to reason with him, but after a second, my dragoness instincts sorta took over, &amp; that's how I ended up ontop," I say with a nervous laugh at the end when Jak looks at me warily, obviously unsure if he should take my hand. With one final glance between me &amp; my hand, he takes the offered appendage &amp; pulls himself up with it, hissing in pain on the way up.

"Okay, one question, why does nearly my entire upper body hurt like hell?" Jak asks once he's fully standing, touching his shoulder, only to draw his hand back quickly with a hiss, looking back to me with pained curiosity.

"I guess I got a bit violent... your shoulder &amp; neck I bit, &amp; as for your back &amp; stomach, I took to clawing there," I reply shyly, looking away from him while grabbing his other hand, pulling him towards the Precursor Lift back into Haven City Forest.

"Wait, where are we going now?" Jak asks while dropping the hem of his shirt, realizing I was pulling him somewhere, having been just checking out the claw marks I had left on his stomach, neither one of us paying attention to what the other had been doing.

"We're going back to my place, it's almost dark out, &amp; I don't want to have to ride that lift in the dark," I reply, looking back at him with a smile. With an understanding nod, Jak quickens his pace to walk next to me, getting onto the Precursor Lift with me &amp; securing an arm around my side. Thirty minutes later, we're back to where I had found myself next to Jak, walking underneath my favorite branch.

"Hey Meldalvyna, do you smell that?" Jak asks while stopping us both, staring into the forest with a look of concern. Tilting my nose into the air slightly, I take a deep breath, sniffing for a scent out of place. The smell hits me hard, &amp; a cold shock of worry &amp; slight fear run down my spine.

"Metalheads... they're closing in. Come on, we need to go faster," I say, pulling Jak with me as I speed walk further down the path. Quickly, the disgusting scent of many Metalheads surround us, one of them leaping out of the thick forest trees &amp; onto the path infront of us, forcing us to stop. Turning to try to go the other way, another Metalhead blocking our way.

"Mel, we can fight them," Jak says, grabbing my shoulder for encouragement before getting into a fighting stance. Following suit, I take in a deep breath, trying to guage the number of Metalheads through their scent. Unable to figure out how many there are, I stand back-to-back with Jak, both of us waiting for the Metalheads to attack first.

The one infront of me leaps at me, its mouth open wide &amp; ready to bite down anywhere it can. With a spin, I counter the creature with a slash from my tailblade, cutting the Grunt's head in half at the jaw. Another leaps towards my head, to which I ram my forehead into the Hopper Metalhead, knocking it backwards. Grabbing the thing by one of its hind legs, I whip into a nearby tree, the sound of its bones &amp; metallic plating breaking upon impact. Looking around for a quick second, I find myself separated from Jak, killing a Grunt with an amazingly powerful one-two punch, the sound of its neck breaking on the second strike. Finding an opening between he &amp; I, I rush to his side &amp; take out a Metalhead that he had turned to, earning a shout of thanks.

Minutes later, I find myself beginning to get tired, the sound of many moving feet &amp; paws making my hearing muffled, the scent of Metalheads &amp; Metalhead blood making the air smell almost foggy, &amp; the dark night making it harder to lock onto the devilish Metalheads. Hearing the sound of four legs behind me, I whip around &amp; rake my fingers across the Grunt's face that had been trying to sneak up behind me, deep gashes following my claws, effectively blinding the animal. I kick the Metalhead hard in the chest, hearing a crack as the creature flies back &amp; lands on the ground, lying there limp &amp; still on the ground, its gem no longer glowing. Glancing behind me, I see Jak ferociously attacking a Metalhead, his movements sloppy &amp; his shirt visibly wet with sweat, his scent exhausted.

Before I can run to his side, another Metalhead tries to attack me from behind, &amp; I fight the creature off, taking my attention off of Jak. Hearing the sound of rushing feet &amp; smelling the scent of a Metalhead behind me, I strike out without looking, the sound of my tailblade going through its chest strangely loud. The Centurian infront of me stops &amp; turns to run away, retreating with the rest of the Metalheads into the forest, growls that sound like laughter echoing behind them as the forest goes quiet.

(Tiger Note: Look up: "You Were My Everything" by Aviation on YouTube &amp; listen while reading)

Pulling my tail out of the body behind me, the feeling of blood splatters against my back with the sound of a loud, struggling cough. Turning around at the sound, I see Jak, holding his chest as another blood-splattering cough erupts from his throat, covering his lower lip in the red fluid, his blue shirt steadily reddening. Jak falls to his knees, the look of sad betrayal in his eyes. I rush to him &amp; catch him before he can fall on his face, pulling him backward onto my lap so I can see his face.

"Jak! I-I'm so sorry! I-I smelled Metalhead on you, &amp; thought it was a Grunt or Centurian,"I stutter as my throat clogs &amp; tears cloud my vision as Jak looks at me slowly, as if he was living in slow-motion, his eyes unfocused as they look into mine.

"M-mmm-Mel, it's okay... ah-I underssssstand," Jak says, pain evident in his voice, struggling to speak without coughing.

"N-no it's not, you can't heal yourself because of me..."

"Meldalvyna, kill me... I-I c-can feel my... my lungs flooding," Jak interrupts after a fit of violent coughing, his blood spraying on my shirt &amp; face.

"I-I can't do that... I'll contact Torn, he'll get a transport here fast enough," I sob out, feeling my tears run down my cheeks, patting down my pockets, frantically searching for my communicator. Jak lifts his hand towards my face, the strain of the movement obvious by how ferociously his arm is shaking. Grabbing my cheek, a small smile comes to his lips, his eyes unfocused &amp; dilated.

"Mel... I love you," Jak whispers. A violent cough strong enough to make him curl forward racks his body. At that moment, Jak falls back, his eyes open &amp; unblinking as I feel &amp; hear his breath exit his lungs, his body limp against my legs. I wrap myself around him, letting my tears flow freely as I lay there next to him, his scent &amp; warmth slowly leaking out of his now lifeless body.

**Author's Note:** Well, I know I came really close to crying while typing that last part... again, I'm sorry for taking so long to get this chapter up! I hope you guys liked this chapter, &amp; that its size was a good make-up for being so late. Until next chapter, tigerdj98 out! ^_^


	36. Just a Dream

**Author's Note:** Hello all, &amp; welcome to chapter 36 of this here story! I hope you readers enjoyed the earlier chapter (I honestly almost cryed while typing last chapter XD ), &amp; I hope this one will answer any questions you have!

**Stuff I own**: My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own**: All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

My eyes snap open to the feeling of my shoulder being shaken, whipping into a defensive position in the direction of the person who touched me, my fists up &amp; ready to strike. Eyes focusing, I realize where I am as I look into the concerned eyes of Hunter, his hand/paw drawn back to his chest in surprise.

"Sorry, it's a habit I can't really break," I say after I relax a little, dropping my hands down to my waist, only to bring a hand up to rub the back of my neck while the other smothers a yawn.

"It is alright. I was just trying to wake you to tell you we should probably get dressed, breakfast is cooking," Hunter says, letting his paws fall to his lap, a small, understanding smile reaching his face. Nodding, I unravel myself from the covers &amp; get out of the borrowed bed I slept in, Hunter doing the same from his own bed.

Picking up one of the sets of clothes I brought with me from where I left it, I head back to my sleeping area &amp; sit down on the surprisingly soft &amp; comfortable bed, changing out of my night shorts &amp; into my tan pants first, keeping my back to Hunter for privacy. Following up with a pair of socks &amp; my combat boots, I hear Hunter shuffle around behind me &amp; off his own mattress, the clang of metal buckles hitting against each other ringing through the air. Pulling off my muscle-shirt &amp; grabbing my blue sleeveless shirt, I hear the motion behind me stop a second later, feeling eyes run down my back, knowing full well that Hunter was looking at the scars there. Ignoring the burning feeling of eyes on me, I pull on my shirt &amp; put on my goggles &amp; red bandanna. Feeling around next to me, I realize I forgot my metal chest ring with its straps &amp; pack on the table, feeling the urge to slap my forehead at my own forgetfulness. Standing, I turn &amp; calmly walk back to the table, trying not to make it obvious I knew that Hunter had seen the scars. I pull on my chest-piece, never looking in Hunter's direction, knowing he would more than likely ask.

"Jak, may I ask a question?" Hunter says, a light tone of concern to his voice.

"There it is," I think to myself with a mental sigh as I turn to face him, forcing a neutral expression.

"_You can't blame him for being concerned_," Light says, trying to make the situation better.

"**What do you mean **_**can't blame him**_**? He shouldn't even be asking about it**," Dark says with a unidentifiable growl, his tone sleepy, my thoughts obviously having just wakened him up.

"Go ahead," I answer before my alters can argue any further, looking to Hunter as if I didn't already know what he was going to ask about, walking back closer to where I had slept. Hunter pauses, his eyes darting back &amp; forth in obvious thought.

"I noticed the scars on your back... if you would please inform me, where did they come from?" Hunter asks, his tone calculating &amp; soft, clearly trying not to offend me. My concerns confirmed, I take in a deep breath &amp; sit down, trying to decide whether I should tell him if they came from battle, or tell where they actually came from.

"**Tell him they came from fighting, not from that hell-hole... it'll be easier for him to accept**," Dark says, the growl to his voice from earlier now identifiable as one of annoyance at my constant thoughts of concern.

"_No, tell him where it actually came from. He knows about Dark, I do believe... though he hasn't seen him, he may know about him through Meldalvyna or her parents &amp; uncle_," Light contradicts, making my decision even harder.

"Guys, I'll figure this one out alone," I say, coming to a decision &amp; forcing my alters to go silent.

"I got this when I first came to Haven City, &amp; I'd rather not talk about them... a few I got since then, &amp; those from fighting in the Underground, in the streets against Krimzon Guards, &amp; in the Wastelands, among other places," I finally answer Hunter, looking him into the eyes with a serious glare, making it clear that I didn't want to talk about where majority of the scars came from. Hunter pauses for a moment, his thoughts obviously pensive, his mouth opening &amp; closing repetitively. After a second, his eyebrows crease, as if he had just remembered something important.

"I saw on your back a dark black vein on one side of your spine, &amp; a greyish-blue one on the opposite side... are your scars &amp; those discolored veins from the... what was it now... ah, that's it... are your scars &amp; those discolored veins on your back from Eco?" Hunter asks, his voice calm &amp; collected, curious in its undertones.

"Yes, the veins you see are for Dark &amp; Light Eco, &amp; the circular scars are from how I got the Dark Eco," I answer after a sigh of thought. Hunter opens his mouth, a question poised in his entire posture, only to be interrupted by the door being flung open hardly. Turning my attention to the harshly opened doorway, I see Meldalvyna standing there in a cloth outfit, looking bedraggled, a look of hysteric worry in her eyes. Eyes locking onto me, I notice they are red, tears collected in the ducts. With a sudden speed I can't even come close to matching, Meldalvyna runs at me full speed, tackling me to the bed.

"OHMYANSCESTORSJAKITHOUGHTYOUWEREDEAD...themetalheadswhentheyattacked,&amp;youwiththebloodcomingoutofyourmouth...itwasallmyfault," Meldalvyna cries out, sobbing against my chest, the entirety completely unintelligable through her choaked, muffled voice. Pushing myself into a sitting position with her leaned against my chest, I gently pull her away from me while she continues to cry &amp; blabbering, trying to look into her eyes, holding her shoulders.

"What's wrong? Slow down, I can't understand what you're saying," I say, trying to calm her down. Sniffing, she wipes her eyes, only for the previous tears to be replaced by new ones, her breathing slowing, but still racked with sobs.

"We... we were in the forest... and we went to the Precursor Temples... then on the way back Light... and then we got trapped by Metalheads... then you died... it was all my fault," Meldalvyna stutters, her crying making some parts impossible to tell what she is saying.

"_She had a nightmare in which we died, &amp; she blames herself for it? Ask her how we died in her dream &amp; where_," Light says, his tone just as worried as I feel, with the smallest hint of curiousity.

"**She's hysterical right now, we should ask that later**," Dark says, not exactly agreeing with his Light brother, but not disagreeing with him either, his tone seeming to be even more worried than ours combined.

"Mel, calm down, it was just a bad dream! I'm here aren't I," I say as Meldalvyna bursts into another fit of disheartening sobbing, thrusting herself against my chest, burrying her face into the crook of my neck, trying to get her to calm down. Slowly but surely, her crying comes to a stop, her face still buried in my neck, her tail wrapped tightly around my waist &amp; her wings drooped to the floor, and her grip tight on my shirt. Pulling away, Meldalvyna wipes her eyes, a small, sad smile on her lips when she looks at me, an apology for her actions in her face.

"Sorry, it was just such a bad dream. It started off good, really good actually, but right at the end it got sad... I had fallen asleep in the dream &amp; woke up in bed, when at the beginning of the dream, I had fallen asleep in bed, &amp; woken up outside next to you... you had said that we had been outside all day in the dream," Meldalvyna says, her eyes downcast to her hands, as if she is looking at something sticking to her hand that she doesn't want there, rubbing them together as if she were washing them.

"It's okay Meldalvyna. Like you just said, it was a dream," I say, noticing another stream of tears threatening to show up on her cheeks, trying to prevent them from falling.

"I know, but everything felt so real, almost like a warning... you're right, it was just a dream, I shouldn't be so worried... but if Torn says we don't have work today because it's too risky for us to go into the city, we ARE NOT going into the forest," Meldalvyna says seriously, looking me straight in the eye, the somber sincerity in her expression making my skin crawl.

"Okay, I promise that if that does happen, we won't go into the forest... how about you get dressed, &amp; we go down stairs &amp; eat breakfast?" I ask softly, trying to get her mind off the apparently horrible dream. With a nod, Meldalvyna stands up &amp; walks back out the door, giving a small apology to Hunter on her way out for intruding, closing the door behind her with her tail.

"I've never seen her that upset before. She must really like you, Jak," Hunter says, turning to me with a kind smile on his face.

"More than you know, Hunter, more than you know," I say with a devilish half grin, earning a curious, smiling eyebrow raise from the anthropomorphic cheetah. Standing, I leave Hunter to his own devices, walking out of the room &amp; to Meldalvyna's bedroom door, leaning against the wall next to the exit. A few minutes of the sound of floor boards creaking &amp; rustling coming through the door later, she walks out of her room, catching sight of me as soon as the door opens &amp; smiling, her hair still frazzled from her less than delightful slumber.

"So, are we going to eat first, or are we going to go take care of our hair problems?" I ask, knowing full well that it isn't only Meldalvyna who has messy hair. A laugh escapes Meldalvyna as she shakes her head with a smile on her face after taking a look at my hair.

"It depends on if breakfast is ready yet or not," she answers, grabbing my hand &amp; leading me to the top of the stairs &amp; down the stair well into the main portion of the house. Following Meldalvyna into the kitchen, I see Spyro standing infront of the dragon-proportioned oven cooking what appeared to be bacon &amp; eggs in different sizes.

"Morning dad, how far along is breakfast?" Meldalvyna asks, making her stepfather jump in surprise a little, having not heard her approach him from behind. Turning, he looks between us &amp; smiles, turning back to the stove-top.

"It'll be a few minutes... definitely enough time for the two of you to get your hair neatened," Spyro answers, a sly smile barely visible on the side of his face, his voice playful &amp; teasing. With a nod, Meldalvyna pulls me behind her to the bathroom, bringing me into the small room with her. Together, we brush our hair, &amp; I grab my comb for my goatee. Before I can run the thing through my goatee, Meldalvyna snatches it from my hand, a teasing look on her face.

"Sit still, I want to comb it," Meldalvyna says, stepping closer, the comb poised &amp; ready in her hand.

"Why exactly?" I ask, giving her a curious smile, a single eyebrow raised in sarcastic inquiry.

"You brushed my hair that one morning, it's my turn," she answers, taking another step closer &amp; holding the hairless part of my chin with her empty hand.

"Fine, just don't do anything funny with it," I say with a chuckle, earning a giddy smile from Meldalvyna. Bringing the comb to my goatee, she gently runs the comb through the hair on my chin, teasing out the knots in each soft stroke. Seconds later she pulls the comb out of my goatee, a satisfactory smile on her face as she sets the thing down on the sink counter. Turning to the mirror, I see that my goatee is almost perfectly triangulated, better than I could ever get it to be.

"Come on, let's go eat," Meldalvyna says, kissing my cheek before pulling me out of the bathroom behind her.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Pulling the comb softly through Jak's goatee, I gently tease out every knot in seconds, shaping his crop of hair on his chin into as close to a perfect triangle as I can manage, a smile on my face the entire time. A few seconds later, I set the comb down on the sink's counter, a happy smile on my face at my work. Jak turns to the mirror, inspecting his goatee, a pleased grin on his face as he turns his head side to side, his grin slowly growing into a grin as he looks his goatee over.

"Come on, let's go eat," I say, kissing his cheek while grabbing his hand &amp; pulling him out of the bathroom behind me. Walking into the kitchen, I sit down across from Hunter at the table, Jak taking the seat on my left.

"Would one of you three come grab two of these plates?" my stepfather asks over his shoulder, keeping his attention on the sizzling contents of the pans on the stove-top. Before I can stand, Hunter rushes to Spyro's side, grabbing the two plates he needs help with. Setting the two plates infront of Jak &amp; me, he takes the third plate from Spyro's paw &amp; sits down with it, nodding to Spyro with a grin of thanks. Jak &amp; I starting to eat, Cynder walks in a few minutes, obviously tired by her uneven, almost limping gait. As Cynder takes a seat next to Hunter, Spyro comes around &amp; sets a plate down infront of her, giving the top of her snout a light good morning peck, a small grin spreading across my mother's lips.

"Good morning you three... I trust that you slept well last night Jak?" Cynder asks kindly, a tired smile on her face with the question. Jak gives her a dumbfounded look for a second, surprised by Cynder's friendly nature before smiling back at her.

"Yes, I slept well, the bedding was very comfortable. I can see why you &amp; Spyro use those pillows for your seats in the sitting area," Jak responds, earning a happy smile from Cynder before she turns to eat her breakfast. Jak turns back to his breakfast, taking a bite out of his meal, swallowing a second later.

"Though, I don't think Hunter or I can say the same for Meldalvyna," Jak says nonchalantly, taking another bite of his breakfast as if it wasn't of any particular importance.

"Why would that be?" Spyro asks as he sits down, his plate already on the table &amp; steaming, looking at me with concern written on his face.

"She had a nightmare last night... she came rushing in this morning, after Hunter &amp; I finished getting dressed, &amp; tackled me back down... she was hysterical," Jak explains, his eyes shifting among Cynder, Spyro, &amp; me, resting the longest on my own.

"What had happened in the dream?" Cynder asks, turning her attention away from Jak &amp; to me, her eyes &amp; scent full of concern.

"Jak died in the dream... &amp; it was my fault," I answer, looking down to my plate, the feeling of guilt in the dream coming back at almost its full strength. Both Spyro's &amp; Cynder's scent goes to one of surprise, while Hunter's &amp; Jak's goes to one of concern.

"How was it your fault?" Hunter asks, his voice concerned &amp; worried, knowing full well that a dragon's dream had the possibility of being a vision of the future, or a warning.

"I don't want to talk about that..." I answer, looking down to my plate &amp; spinning my food around my fork, the conversation making me lose my appetite, the dream still very vivid in my mind.

"It was just a dream, Mel. It's not like I'm going to get mad or anything," Jak says gently, setting a hand over my own, watching me with a small look of concern when I look up to him. Taking a deep breath, I ponder over if I should tell him now, or wait until the next time we are alone.

"_I should tell him now, to get it off my chest... but what if he takes it wrong_?" I think to myself, trying to decide whether or not to wait. Taking another deep breath, I make my decision, building the courage to say it out loud.

"It was my fault because... I accidentaly stabbed you with my tailblade, &amp; Light couldn't heal you. We were fighting Metalheads, &amp; we were both getting tired &amp; sloppy, their blood getting on us... I heard &amp; smelled what I thought was a Grunt or Slinger rushing up behind me while I was fighting a Centurian, &amp; I struck without looking... you died in my arms after asking me to kill you... you said your lungs were flooding," I say, forcing myself to speak slowly through each sentence, trying to keep my tears at bay, squeezing my fingers into my palm. The scent of surprise radiates from everyone in the room, only to be replaced by the overwhelming scent of sympathy &amp; love from Jak, his hand tightening around mine. Looking back up to him, I see a gentle smile spread across his lips.

"No wonder you were so upset this morning... anything else you don't want to do if we end up with the day off that you saw in the dream?" Jak asks, scooting his chair a little closer to mine, not caring that my parents were just across the table from us, his main &amp; only concern being me &amp; how I feel.

"We're not going into the forest after 3 pm, that's for sure... &amp; if we do, we're not staying out past 4 pm... it was near nightfall when the Metalheads attacked us," I answer, thinking back to the definite parts of the dream, leaving out the happenings with Light until Jak &amp; I are alone again. Jak nods, giving my hand another squeeze before turning to his breakfast, finishing if off in a few quick bites, I following suit. Getting up, I grab Jak's plate before he can, dropping them into the sink before returning to his side as he stands up, leading him back into the bathroom to brush our teeth together.

"Hey Jak... there's a reason Light couldn't heal you in the dream," I say after I rinse out my mouth with a small cup of water, catching Jak's attention, looking at me in the reflection of the mirror. Stepping closer to me, Jak sets a hand on my shoulder as I sit up.

"You know you can wait if you want to, I'm not going to force you to tell me why I died or how it was your fault... but I do want to know one thing," Jak says, brushing my hair away from my cheek with his thumb before giving my cheek a gentle peck.

"What do you want to know?" I ask, turning to him with a smile on my face, having the feeling he is going to say something about the happier parts of the dream.

"How did the dream start? All I want to know is from beginning up to before the Metalheads ambushed," Jak answers, searching my face with his eyes, a grin turning a corner of his lip up.

"Well, it was confusing at first, because I woke up outside in the dream, &amp; we were both just enjoying the sunlight, &amp; after a second, you told me we had been out there since 3," I begin, closing my eyes so I can focus on remembering the beginning of the dream. After about five or six minutes, I finish relaying the dream up to just before the Metalhead's attack, taking a deep breath as I lean against the bathroom door.

"Huh, no wonder you were so badly effected... and I could see Light trying something like that. For a being who's supposed to represent everthing kind &amp; pure, he has a tendancy to break that expectancy every once in a while," Jak says once I finish my retelling of the dream, standing back up to his full height from leaning on the sink's counter.

"Really... huh, &amp; I was thinking it was just the dream. I didn't realize he actually did that," I say with a thoughtful grin, standing back up to my full heighth as well, getting out of the way so I or Jak could open the door.

"I swear sometimes he can be worse than Dark at those kind of things... especially when it comes to being a perfectionist... it's like when I or he sees something that he doesn't deem 'pure' or 'perfect' enough, he wants to destroy it," Jak says, shaking his head in scrutiny at Light, a strange grin on his face.

"He wants to destroy them... what does he think about me in those terms?" I ask, curious as to what Light thinks of me, &amp; also slightly worried for my own future safety around Jak's Light Eco alter.

"He loves you just the way you are... which means you're 'perfect' &amp; 'pure' enough for his liking... he didn't really like Keira or Ashelin... said they were not pure enough for him," Jak says, his hand stopping just before the door nob, a small smile on his face as he looks me up &amp; down. Jak returns his attention to the door, placing a hand on the door nob.

"WHAT IN THE ANCESTORS' NAME ARE YOU TWO DOING IN THERE?!" an angry voice yells as the door is flung open, making us both jump back in surprise, the harshly opened passage way revealing a very pissed off Sparx.

"Sorry, Mel was just filling me in on a nightmare she had last night," Jak answers, a look of surprise on his face, though through his scent I can tell he is amused at Sparx's angry expression.

"I've been waiting here for almost ten minutes... don't apologize again, just get out, the both of you," Sparx says, flying into the bathroom behind us, trying to shove us out, though failing hilariously. With a compressed laugh, I pull Jak out of the room with me &amp; into the hall, the door slamming behind us. Walking into the living room, we grab the remainder of our Freedom League armor &amp; say our goodbyes before walking out the door.

"Good Ancestors it's cold out here," I say as I shiver runs down my spine &amp; the hair on my head attempt to raise.

"I'd give my jacket to you, but your wings kinda make putting it on a bit difficult," Jak says with a grin, a visible shiver coursing through his arms.

"_I should fly us there, he wasn't that heavy when I dive-bombed us into the pond, &amp; he was pretty easy to find a good hold on... I wonder if he would agree to that_," I think to myself, the idea making me grin a little.

"What are you smiling about?" Jak asks curiously, a smirk on his face as we walk side by side down the path &amp; into the forest.

"Oh nothing, just thinking about a faster way to get to the rendezvous that would be warmer for the both of us," I reply, the idea sounding better by the second.

"What, do you want to ride the Jetboard like we did last time?" Jak asks, a smile coming to his face as he slows his pace a little, the sweet scent of hope coming from him in light waves.

"No... but something close to that idea," I answer, allowing my smile to grow into a full grown smirk. Jak stops completely, a hand going to his chin in thought, messing up my job on his goatee with his motion.

"What would your idea be then?" Jak asks, raising an eyebrow at me sarcastically, a small smirk creasing the left side of his lips.

"Get closer &amp; hold your arms up &amp; I'll show you," I respond, my smirk growing even larger. Following my instructions, Jak takes a few steps towards me &amp; holds his arms out, a wary smile on his face, watching me with curiousity in his eyes as I walk behind him, allowing my tail to trail across one of his legs as I pass. Jumping onto his back, Jak laughs out in surprise as he almost falls over to the sudden addition of my weight to his shoulders.

"You should've just said that you wanted to be carried, I probably would've said yes," Jak says with a grin in his voice, attempting wrapping his arms underneath my legs, trying to hold me up as my legs wrap around his waist &amp; my arms wrap around his chest from underneath his arms.

"Nope, you're not carrying me, I'm carrying you," I say as I pound my wings downward, lifting us both into the air quickly &amp; towards the cliff-side, earning a surprised 'oh shit' from Jak, his arms tensing around my own. Flying towards the cliff with an idea in mind, I adjust my grip on Jak once I'm level, shifting his body forward so his head is just beneath my chin.

Just as we're passing the top of the cliff, I snap my wings closed, sending us into my favorite dive. Jak begins to laugh out of fear &amp; pure adrenaline-rushed joy as the G-force pushes him into my chest. At the last second, I pull us up &amp; barrel down the path as fast as I can manage, dodging trees &amp; the cliff-side, diving through turns, Jak's excited laughing encouraging me to go faster. Sadly, we reach the pick-up faster than either of us want to, the air-tran just coming into view above us. Turning us both into a horizontal position, I fly low enough for Jak's feet to touch the ground before letting him go &amp; landing next to him, the zoomer landing a few feet away a second or two later.

"We should do that again," Jak yells over the engines as the back hatch of the air-tran hits the ground. I nod in reply with a smile on my face, Jak's hand wrapping around mine as he pulls me into the transport zoomer.

**Author's Note: **Yay, happy ending unlike last chapter! So, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did typing it (though it was kinda difficult with my strange schedule now)... just so you guys remember, I will be posting every **2nd &amp; 4th SUNDAYS of every month for now on, unless there is another unforeseeable schedule change**... until next time, tigerdj98 out!


	37. Another Day on the Job

**Author's Note:** Hello all &amp; welcome to chapter... what is this... 37? Yeah, welcome to chapter 37! Sorry about last chapter being boring (or at least that's how I felt about it), but hopefully this one will be better! Also, sorry for this chapter being late, but my schedule has been pretty thick with events, mostly from after school Band occasions that are for grades that I can't get out of...

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

I can still feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins from the ride Meldalvyna gave me as we rush into the back of the air-tran, an excited, happy smile on my face, not caring if anyone saw the scars on my gums from Dark's fangs. The door closes behind us as we lift into the air, Meldalvyna taking down her hood with one hand, the other wrapped around mine. Looking to Meldalvyna, a smile remains sitting on her face, pure happiness glittering in her forest green eyes. Meldalvyna's smile widens when she looks at my face, squeezing my hand a bit tighter as her lips reveal her marble white teeth, each individual tooth coming elegantly to a beautifully sharp point.

"_It is a wonder how we do not end up cutting ourselves on her teeth when we kiss her_," Light says, an amused tinge of curiosity to his voice.

"**No kiddin'... I know I have no room to talk, due to my fangs, but I don't think I'd want to accidently run my tongue over those**," Dark comments, his tone matching Lights. I chuckle at the two's comments, earning a curious smirk from Meldalvyna, her lips recovering her teeth.

"What's that laugh for?" Meldalvyna asks, releasing my hand to cross her hands over her chest, still smiling in her curiosity.

"Light said something about wondering how I don't cut myself on your teeth when we kiss, &amp; Dark followed up with saying he didn't want to accidentaly run his tongue over them," I answer as flatly as possible, though I can feel my lips involuntarily curling into an amused smirk. A loud laugh bursts from her lips, one of her arms gripping a side, two extra sounds of people laughing echoing from the cockpit, making the both of us jump out of our laughter.

"Oh hey Carl &amp; Luke, forgot you were in here," Meldalvyna says, some of the laughter still in her voice, though now mixed with a tinge of shyness.

"How could you forget that? Were _**are**_ in the air," Carl says, a chuckle in his voice when he looks back at us, seeing Meldalvyna sticking her tongue out at him, a shit-eating grin on her face while she's doing it.

"And we know you guys are dating, but you don't have to talk about the details out loud!" Luke laughs, keeping his head facing out the front of the transport zoomer, earning a shy laugh from Meldalvyna, covering her mouth with her hand.

"We could get worse if you're not careful," I threaten with a dark chuckle, a smirk on my face as I look at Meldalvyna through the corner of my eyes, a curious &amp; entertained smile on her face, an eyebrow raised in inquiry. Carl &amp; Luke look between each other before taking turns looking back at us with a curious yet dreading look on their face.

"You both know you can't do THAT in here, it's against Freedom League Code!" Carl shouts, his eyes wide in horror, his face an expression of disgust. I can't help but start to laugh, Carl's guess at what I was going to do very far off. A second later, a look of realization flashes across Meldalvyna's face before she also starts to laugh, shaking her head with a disbelieving smile on her face.

"I wasn't suggesting that far! This is what I meant," I say, waltzing up to Meldalvyna &amp; grabbing her around the waist, not hesitating to give her the largest kiss I could, earning a groan from the two pilots. I feel Meldalvyna smirk at the two's sound of amused disgust, &amp; I can't help but grin at their reaction as I pull away slowly, making it a bit more dramatic, a skill I unwillingly learned from seeing Daxter &amp; Tess do the exact same thing.

"We need to put a wall or something between you two, I swear we're going to need one," Luke mumbles loud enough for everyone to hear, causing Meldalvyna &amp; I to laugh again before it is cut short my the air-tran slowly coming to a stop before descending.

"See you two later!" Carl &amp; Luke shout as the door opens &amp; the interior of the transport zoomer fills with the loud static of countless questions from the sea of news reporters outside as the air-tran comes to a landing. Before I can turn around, Meldalvyna flings her hood up &amp; rushes past me, grabbing my hand &amp; pulling me behind her as we run through the crowd to the doors of the Freedom League HQ. Once inside, we come to a screaching halt as we almost run straight into Torn.

"S-sorry Torn, sir!" Meldalvyna immediately apologizes, nearly sprinting straight into Torn herself. Torn blinks a few times, allowing himself time to take in what she said after being nearly bowled over by us.

"It is okay Meldalvyna, there's a crowd out there, I understand. I imagine you two will be able to finish talking to the remaining squadrons about the situation?" Torn asks, looking between us with a single raised eyebrow.

"Yess'ir, we should have it done, or be close to it, by the end of our shift, most likely in a few hours," I answer, counting off the remaining groups in my head, finding out there to be fifteen squadrons left. Torn gives a single nod before passing us, his hands behind crossed behind his back, his eyes returning to the cold disciplined stare as he walks off, a typical expression from him. Before we can walk into the conference room to begin the first session, Torn whips back around &amp; catches up to us.

"I almost forgot to tell you, I sent these groups in last because they may be the hardest to convince... they ask me why I send them on parol in certain areas, &amp; I end up spending nearly ten minutes on just that," Torn says quickly before continueing on in the direction he had originally been headed.

"_So a stubborn group of new recruits in other words?_" Light ponders in the back of my mind.

"**What do you think, dumbass?**" Dark sneers, making Light groan at his vulgarity.

"_It was a rhetorical question, you imbecile_," Light scorns back, making me inwardly groan at the two, Meldalvyna looking at me out of the corner her eye with an eyebrow raised as my two alters continue to argue.

"**I'm NOT an imbicile, ya fuckin' winged pansy-ass**," Dark growls back, his tone making obvious he is getting ready to fight.

"Will you two shut up? You're making me look strange," I think to the two, effectively making them pause their bickering.

"What's with you?" Meldalvyna says, surprising me with her question, finding myself just outside the mission briefing room.

"Dark &amp; Light are fighting," I answer, shrugging the curious question off with a flat expression, silently telling her that it is a normal occurance. Meldalvyna shrugs before turning her eyes back to the door, setting her hands on it, ready to push it open, taking a deep breath. I come &amp; stand next to her, placing my hands on the door even with hers, shoving open the door as I take a deep breath of my own, starting the grueling process of convincing other soldiers of Meldalvyna's trustfulness again.

"**Torn wasn't lying when he said these guys would be harder to convince**," Dark groans as a single rookie asks a question that had been asked not even a minute before, tired from having to listen to the exact same speeches &amp; questions for the fifth time today.

"_Torn has no reason to lie to us, Dark, unless it is to protect us, like the time with Ashelin when Baron Praxis was still alive... if what you two told me about the event was accurate anyhow_," Light says, digging through not only my memory, but Dark's as well, the action feeling like an itching in just underneath the skin on the back of my skull.

I look up when Meldalvyna answers the question for a second time, hearing a slight, barely audible growl in her voice, the deep, annoyed sound sending a shiver down my spine, the hardly sensational rumble too reminiscent to Cynder's to be comfortable. Looking to the person receiving the answer, I notice that he had apparently heard the growl too, suddenly becoming more tense in his stance, his eyes locked with Meldalvyna's, no one else seeming to have noticed the near silent snarl. I can't help but smirk at the soldier's reaction, even though I am feeling a lesser version of what he is.

"Anyone else not yet fully convinced, or have any questions?" Meldalvyna asks, smiling when no hands raise into the air.

"You may take your leave," I say after I too scan the room for elevated hands, finding none as well. Watching as they leave &amp; the doors close behind them, I sigh in relief, sitting down on a chair close to me, Meldalvyna walking up to just beyond the reach of my knee. Looking up to her, I grin tiredly, feeling a pang of hunger, not unaccompanied by a silent quake from my stomach.

"You want to take our lunch break now?" Meldalvyna asks, setting a hand on my shoulder, her other hand rested absentmindedly across her own stomach. Nodding, I stand up &amp; we head out the door to the cafeteria area of the HQ. Too soon did we finish our meals, Meldalvyna's appetite again surprising me. Walking back into the conference room, we begin yet another set of persuading consultations. A few hours &amp; conferences later, a single person raises her hand, looking to be near our age, a look of genuine curiosity on her face.

"Yes? What is your question?" Meldalvyna asks, trying to hold back a look of exhaustion &amp; boredom, though failing considerabley to hide the expressions.

"I've been watching the news lately, &amp; there is a rumor started by the press that you &amp; Commander Jak are a couple... is that true?" the soldier asks as she looks between us, her voice gentle &amp; shy in her curiousness. Meldalvyna visibly tenses, &amp; I can't help but take a deep breath in surprise. The rest of the room's eyes widen, only to turn on us, the same question in their eyes.

"I... I mean that it wouldn't be a surprise, considerring how you two have been pictured together in the security footage... &amp; how you are supporting each other now..." the woman stumbles, trying to make the question sound less harsh, less prying, a shy, appologetic, &amp; forced half-smile.

"Yeah... it'd be kinda obvious if you two were... considering the audio of the video, &amp; what the shop keeper says about you," another voice calls out, adding to the number of nodding heads in the room, all motioning to have the question answered.

"What is your opinion on it... if we were to answer positively or negatively?" Meldalvyna asks, her voice cold &amp; calculating, the sound almost haunting, a tone I've never heard from her before, the voice of a dangerous predator tricking its prey into feeling comfort, or contrarily trying to scare it more.

"Uh... I guess if you were to say yes, we'd be slightly surprised, &amp; ask why... and if you were to answer no, then we'd have nothing to ask," she answers, shifting her weight between her feet nervously beneath Meldalvyna's intense stare.

"Is that true for everyone else?" Meldalvyna asks harshly, snapping her eyes away from the woman &amp; to everyone else in the room, her eyes almost frozen, exactly like her mother's when I first saw Cynder. All the heads in the room begin to nod, their eyes wide with a combination of expectance &amp; nervousness.

"If that is the case, then I must answer... yes, Jak and I are a couple," Meldalvyna says with a tone of finality, making it clear to everyone in the room that she is done explaining herself for now. A long pause of silence takes over the room, the air thick with tension, Meldalvyna glancing at me to dismiss them. Just as I open my mouth to give the command to leave, a single hand raises out of the crowd, this time a man, a frown forming on my &amp; Meldalvyna's faces as the hand elevates.

"Yes?" I ask, unable to keep the tone of annoyance out of my voice, a forced smile on my face.

"Miss Meldalvyna, you said you are a hybrid earlier. I know this is a sensative subject, but may I ask, is your father human or dragon?" he asks, his voice gentle &amp; genuine. Glancing over to Meldalvyna, I watch as Meldalvyna struggles to a conclusion, her face twisting into expressions of surprise &amp; concern.

"H-he's dead, he died before I even had the chance to see him at all... he _**was**_ human, I do have a dragon stepfather though," Meldalvyna answers, her voice shakey &amp; cautious, her eyes almost flat with depressed thought, she most likely thinking about missing out on her father.

"_She's more like us than I originally thought_," Light says, his voice sympathetic, having gone through losing Damas as I did.

"**I wonder what happened to her actual father... Meldalvyna's looking pretty upset right now, we need to call off this meeting to let her calm down**," Dark adds, paying more attention to our love than the curiosity of her missing father.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"H-he's dead, he died before I even had the chance to see him at all... he _**was **_human, I do have a dragon stepfather though," I answer, trying to keep my voice level, though I knew it wouldn't be long until I broke down.

"_Why am I choking up like this? It's not like I ever knew him, &amp; my mother didn't even know him... he died later that night... I never got the chance to even see his face once_," I think to myself while looking downward, the thoughts slowly dwindling into missed chances to be with my biological father, the memory of the day my mother told me that Spyro wasn't my actual father filling my mind.

"_I was so young then... how soft I was then... I still haven't hardened in that aspect_," I think to myself flatly, my mind becoming emotionless.

"You all have your leave," I hear Jak say, though his voice sounds like it is far away, like he's behind a glass wall, &amp; I on the opposite side. Slowly, everyone but Jak &amp; I leave the room, the sound of feet a nearly silent thumping, almost a low, quiet hum. When the room finally goes silent, I feel Jak's hand on my shoulder, feeling his eyes on my face, smelling his concern, everything numb but the feeling of splitting, melancholy pain in my forehead.

"Are you okay?" Jak asks as I feel myself lowering into a seat, finding Jak's hand on my chin, lifting it up so that he can see my face, even though he is crouching between my knees, a look of sad worry in his eyes.

"Y-yeah... I'll be fine," I answer, trying to blink the fuzzy image from my eyes &amp; refocus them on Jak. Jak's eyebrows crease into a furrow, his eyes almost displeased.

"I didn't ask you if you _**would**_ be fine, I asked if you were okay," Jak says, his tone annoyed, though his face &amp; scent is worried &amp; sympathetic.

"Fine, I'm not okay... that last question got to me... I don't know why either," I lie with a faux tone of confusion, knowing exactly why I started reacting like I had.

"No your not, I may not be able to smell sadness, but I can see it, it's all over your face... can I ask what happened to your father? I know he didn't die from something natural by the way you're acting," Jak says gently, pulling up another chair to sit next to me, a hand on my knee.

"By answering that, you'd learn something about me I don't want anyone outside my parents &amp; double stepuncle to know, &amp; for good reason," I say in return, trying to convince Jak to leave the subject alone &amp; untouched.

"I love you Meldalvyna, nothing will change that. And because I love you, I want to know about what makes you act so ..._**empty**_... like that, because I never want to see you like that again," Jak argues softly, yet again trying to convince me to tell him. Taking a deep breath, I decide to tell him, though every instinct in my body is telling me otherwise.

"He died the same night he met my mother... he was delusional &amp; speaking in tongues, &amp; died from bloodloss overnight while he slept," I say, trying to avoid the main part of why I hate the subject so much.

"He had a lethal concussion when he &amp; your mother... well, ya know? Was your mother... uh... social... when she was younger?" Jak asks, obviously trying not to offend me or Cynder at the same time, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No... my mother was not '_**social**_'," I retort, involuntarily growling at Jak.

"Sorry... then how did you get here?" Jak asks, still not giving it up. This time, I can't hold my mounting anger in any more.

"Fine! You really want to know?! My mother was fucking RAPED BY A DELUSIONAL MAN WHO WOULD DIE FROM AN INTERNALLY BLEEDING HEAD INJURY LATER THAT NIGHT! I am the worthless, unplanned product of a rape victim! Are you happy now?! And it's all because my mother decided to try to save the damn man's life," I sneer out, standing in my rage, staring Jak straight in the eyes the entire time. A look of hurt come over Jak's face, leaning back &amp; away from me in surprise, his scent flooding in a mixture of fear &amp; slowly mounting sympathy. I collapse back down to my seat, burrying my face into my hands &amp; letting my stress out through tears. After a few moments of sobbing, I feel Jak's hand on my back as he pulls me against himself, his head pushed into the corner of my neck, refusing to release me, even when I try to pull away.

"I'm sorry about putting you through that, I didn't know it would be that sensitive... I shouldn't have asked that... will you forgive me?" Jak asks, his voice soft &amp; oddly shakey, his scent overpoweringly sympathetic &amp; sad.

"Y-yes, of course I will... I understa-and that you needed t-to know, I j-just didn't expect to have to t-tell you this early... I-I thought it'd make you think less of me," I stutter, holding back as much tears as I can. Jak pulls himself away from me to look into my eyes, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Why would I ever think less of you for something like that? So what if that's what you feel you are, it's not what I feel. Like I said before, I love you for who you are, not who you pretend or try to be. I'm not perfect, &amp; you know that, yet you still love me for who I am, right?" Jak asks, making a point with his question. I nod, unable to speak from the combination of held back tears &amp; surging, relieved happiness.

"See, that's why I love you, you love me for who I am, flaws &amp; all, so of course I'll love you for the same reasons, &amp; more," Jak says, attempting to pull me back to him, but I hold my place, the last part of his sentence making me curious.

"And more... what do you mean by that?" I ask, completely confused by what he meant, though I have an idea at what it is.

"Well, you are unique for one. No one else in this entire city is anywhere close to you... you've made me smile, laugh, frown, worry, &amp; love and want to be with you even more in a single day... you are smart, strong... frightening at times, which makes you even better in my eyes... beautiful, &amp; so many more things that I can't even list them all, &amp; I still have things I want to experience with you," Jak says, looking between different points on my face, as if he was painting my face in his mind, before bringing his dark ocean blue eyes to mine, a soft, loving smile on his face. I can't help but smile at him happily, pulling myself into him, snuggling the side of my face against his.

"Thank you Jak... I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there to get the squadron out... Ancestors, I don't know what I would've done with myself since I met you if I hadn't that day," I say against his cheek, giving the area a light kiss of gratitude. I feel Jak's chest move against mine, a chuckle escaping his throat less than a second later.

"I'm glad I made you feel better. Our shift ends in two minutes, we could go &amp; tell Torn we couldn't finish them all, &amp; we could do them tomorrow... do you want to stay, or go home?" Jak asks, kissing me back on the cheek. Leaning back up &amp; into a proper sitting position, I think about the options Jak gave me, but only for a second, my answer immediately popping into my mind.

"Let's clock out, I don't think I could handle another break down like that," I answer, honestly not wanting to have to go through that situation twice in the same day. Jak nods &amp; pulls me up gently by the hand, leading me through the conference &amp; mission briefing room doors &amp; down the path to Torn's office. We tell Torn what Jak had proposed earlier &amp; clock out, rushing through the waiting sea of paparazzi &amp; into the already hovering air-tran. Once inside, the back hatch coming to a close as we leave our back to the cockpit, watching the door close for once. Turning to face the front of the transport zoomer, I see Carl standing just to the left of Luke's seat, his upper half bent down &amp; towards the inside of the seat, his head completely hidden behind the seat.

"Carl, Luke?" Jak asks, loud enough for them to hear. Carl whips into full height, a look of surprise on his face, helmet not on his head, his cheeks red &amp; a guilty look on his face, his hair slightly ruffled in the front.

"H-hey Jak, Meldalvyna, didn't hear you two come in," Luke says, turning to look at us, his helmet off as well, the same red cheeks &amp; guilty expression on his face, his hair untouched &amp; nothing out of place.

"Yakkowshit, how'd the door open &amp; close for us then?" Jak says with a smirking, calling them out on their supposed lie. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I pick up on the scents of affection, nervousness, &amp; truth.

"Jak, he's not lying," I say, my words causing Jak to look at me, a skeptic expression on his face until I tap the end of my snout with a single finger, reminding him I can smell emotions &amp; tell if someone is lying or not through the scents.

"Yeah, we went &amp; had motion sensors installed for opening &amp; closing the hatch linked with recognition software today while you two were inside," Carl says as Luke opens his mouth to talk, only to close it again as Carl speaks for him.

"Okay then... so what were you two doing just then?" I ask, though I have a sneaking suspicion what it was. Both Carl &amp; Luke seem to fidget where they are, both going to put on their helmets, the scent of shy guilt wafting from them as they pull the things over their heads, hiding their faces.

"Nothing, just talking... lets get you two into the forest," Luke says, turning to face the front of the air-tran, his face &amp; body disappearing back behind the seat as Carl sits in his seat, flipping switches &amp; starting the transport zoomer, lifting us into the air a second later. The ride goes in tense silence, no goodbyes as we get off the large vehicle at our drop-off point. Beginning to walk down the path leading to my house, the chill of the fast approaching fall night nips at all &amp; any of my exposed skin.

"I wonder what they were doing when we turned to them... hey, do you want to do the thing we did earlier this morning?" Jak asks, bailing out on the first subject he started, a hopeful smile on his face, obviously wanting my answer to be yes.

"I have an idea on what Carl &amp; Luke were doing, but I don't want to say anything incase I'm wrong... &amp; yes, let's do that, but it won't be as fun, no diving off cliffs anyways," I answer, the first part of my answer making Jak look at me with a curious expression on his face before it it replaced with a smile. Walking infront of me as I slow my pace, Jak holds his arms out level with his shoulders, like I had him do earlier this morning.

"That won't be necessary, I'll just lower myself to you this time since you know what I'm going to do," I say as I lift myself into the air, hovering just behind &amp; above Jak's back, positioning myself to pick him up. Lifting him up &amp; against myself, I wrap my arms around his chest &amp; my legs around his before taking off full power towards my house. Minutes later of flying at half speed, we land just outside my house, a smile on both of our faces.

**Author's Note:** So, I hope that chapter was more entertaining than the last one... anyway, I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be pretty entertaining (in a gross sort of way)! Again, sorry for this chapter being so late, but honestly, it's my Band instructor's fault for scheduling football games of Fridays &amp; contests the day after, along with practices on Tuesdays, resulting in a lot of homework with less time to do them... so, in the end, blame school in general for these late chapters! Until next time, tigerdj98 out!


	38. Don't Make Eggs When You're Tired

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone who actually reads this story, &amp; welcome to chapter 38! I am so sorry that this chapter is so late, I barely had enough time to even BEGIN typing this chapter last week, since I had two band contests &amp; a football game that the band had to play at in a single week... anyhow, I'll try my best to get these chapters out on time!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

As Meldalvyna lowers us to the ground, I feel my heart begin to slow from its fast, excited, &amp; adrenaline-rushed pace. Once my feet touch the ground I turn to face Meldalvyna, her feet softly padding against the ground in her landing.

"_I cannot wait until she teaches me to fly like that...I honestly envy her beautiful ability_," Light says in admiration, his voice soft &amp; dream-like in the back of my mind. A deep, apreciative sigh fills my mind from Light, the sound making me smile uncontrollably. Feeling Meldalvyna's hand wrapping around my own &amp; pulling me forward snaps me out of my conversation with my peaceful alter, my smile growing when I see one plastered across Meldalvyna's.

"**I wonder what she'd do if she woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare like earlier...**," Dark chuckles, his mind obviously turning to everywhere _**but **_where Light &amp; I had been talking about, his tone making it clear he isn't thinking cleanly.

"Dark, don't think of her like that," I growl back at him mentally, trying to keep the images Dark is giving me out of my head, feeling blood rush to the tips of my ears with every picture that makes it to my mind. Feeling a rush of warm air enveloping my body, I push myself out of my mental conversation with my dark alter &amp; consciously follow Meldalvyna into her house. The smell of food cooking &amp; fireplace smoke hits me full on, the homey scent putting my mind at ease &amp; bringing a subconscious smile to my face.

"Jak, Meldalvyna, you two are back early. How was work today?" Hunter greets us as we walk into the living room &amp; take our seat on the only couch.

"Not much different than yesterday, we still had all those conferences to talk in," Meldalvyna replies with a smile on her face, leaving out her near-mental break down. Hunter smiles at the good, his eyes lighting up with relieved glimmers, obviously seeing the tired look in Meldalvyna's eyes.

"That is good to hear. I'm glad to see you two before I have to leave tomorrow morning... ah yes, that reminds me... Jak, I will have left before dawn tomorrow, just to let you know," Hunter says, turning his attention towards me with a serious, almost apologetic look on his face.

"Okay... if I sleep in, maybe Meldalvyna or Sparx could wake me up," I say in return, glancing at Meldalvyna, asking her if it is okay with my eyes, receiving a nod from her.

"Sure, I'll wake you up. By the way, where is Sparx?" Meldalvyna asks, looking around the room for her double stepuncle, searching for the apparently missing dragonfly.

"Oh, he's in here with me," Spyro's voice calls out from the kitchen, the information making Meldalvyna smile, a sigh of relief escaping her as she turns back to face Hunter.

"Actually, dinner is ready. Could one of you go &amp; tell Cynder that it is time to eat?" Spyro asks, not able to leave the kitchen, the sound of plates clicking together filling the air from the kitchen. Hunter yells back that he's going to get Meldalvyna's mother, leaving us to walk down the hall leading to Spyro's &amp; Cynder's bedroom. Walking back out a second later, Hunter walks into the kitchen, Cynder appearing out of the hall a few seconds later, a tired, sleepy look to her eyes.

"Hello Meldalvyna, Jak. You two are actually back in time for dinner," Cynder says with a smirk, a yawn escaping her throat a second later. Smiling back, Meldalvyna pulls me to the table &amp; we take our seats, Hunter handing us our plates almost as soon as we sit down, Sparx coming to his seat next to us with his own plate a second later.

"So, how long do you plan on staying with us Jak? Over night I mean," Sparx asks after taking a spoon full of his meal, which looked like roasted brown-ish black specks on his plate, taking another bite of his food a second later, looking at me with expectant eyes.

"Well, as long as it takes to get the press away from my apartment building after &amp; before work hours, so I'm guessing a few days... I hope I'm not imposing by staying for so long," I answer Sparx, the last part of my sentence being towards the heads of the house.

"Oh no, not at all, I like all the company... say, you two should ask the Cheif of Arms Torn if he would like to come over tomorrow for dinner," Spyro says, a smile on his face, though not without a serious expression in his eyes.

"That could be possible, but if he were to come over, than that would mean that the rest of the Council would have to come too, not to mention the councils from other cities such as Spargus &amp; Kras," I say in return, thinking it over as I speak, realizing just how many people would end up having to be involved.

"No, it wouldn't be to discuss anything official, just to have a good time, set good impressions, things such as that... wait, isn't the Cheif of Arms and the Governess a, ah, couple?" Spyro asks, a curious furrow on his brows &amp; a questioning tilt to his head.

"Yes, they are, why would you ask... oh wait, that's right, if you were to invite one, you should invite the significant other," Meldalvyna answers, about to ask a question of her own before realizing what her stepfather is getting at. Spyro nods, his eyes &amp; facial expression thoughtful, determining whether or not to go through with his question of invitation.

"I could ask him &amp; Ashelin right now if you like," I suggest, reaching backwards into my pack for my communicator after taking a quick bite of my dinner. Spyro &amp; Cynder look towards each other, a completely silent conversation going between them, though I can tell most of it.

"Sure, it would be good to set an example of our kind to them through a small dinner party with all of us &amp; Mr. Torn &amp; Ms. Ashelin. Jak, you can call them if you like, but I suggest waiting until after you eat," Cynder says, turning her attention away from her husband &amp; to me, a single nod signaling that they both wanted me to go through with it. I nod in return, turning to my dinner &amp; downing the rest in a few minutes in order to be able to call Torn &amp; Ashelin. Finishing my meal in a few minutes, I bring my plate to their sink &amp; walk into the living room, getting my communicator out of my pocket.

"Hey Torn, Meldalvyna's parents are wondering if you &amp; Ashelin would like to come to dinner tomorrow at her house. It wouldn't be anything official or fancy, just a nice time," I say once Torn answers his communicator, a strange silence on his end filling my ear.

"I guess, just let me contact &amp; ask Ashelin first. If she says no, I'll still be there," Torn answers after a second of quiet, his tone over the communicator making it obvious he is thinking. The line goes dead a second later &amp; I put the communicator back into my pocket, thinking it would be a little bit before he would call back. Not even two minutes later, my communicator buzzes to life &amp; I quickly pull it out of my pocket, immediately putting the device closer to my face.

"Hey Torn, what did she say?" I ask as I walk over to Meldalvyna's couch &amp; sit down, having a feeling that his answer is going to be a positive one.

"Ashelin said yes, her only conditions were as long as we can catch a ride with you &amp; Meldalvyna out into the Haven City Mountain Pass after you two get out of work tomorrow," Torn answers immediately.

"Okay, just to let you know, it'll be a long walk in the cold up to her house... it's also usually pretty hot in the house, so I'd bring something warm to walk in that's easy to take off," I say a second later, remembering the long walk up to the house &amp; how cold it is supposed to be the next day.

"I'll tell Ashelin that... see you there tomorrow then," Torn says before hanging up, putting my communicator back into my pocket &amp; turning back to the rest of the room.

"So, what did Torn &amp; Ashelin say?" Meldalvyna asks once my hand is out of my pocket &amp; my attention is on them.

"They said they will be here tomorrow, as long as they can catch a ride in the air-tran with us, which means they'll be walking with us," I answer, coming back into the kitchen to wash my plate, only for Spyro to wave me off with a smile on his face. Meldalvyna gives Spyro her plate &amp; follows me into their living room, pulling me down to the seat next to her.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, I honestly don't know why it affects me so much now," Meldalvyna says, her eyes drifting down to her knees, but only for a second, apology in her eyes, &amp; a want for me to say something held in them when she looked back to my face.

"It's okay, I apologized for forcing you into telling me earlier," I say in return, taking her hand &amp; giving a quick squeeze, a half smile on my face.

"I know, I just broke down to all the weight on my chest I guess," Meldalvyna says, a small smile parting her lips as she looks down to our hands, a the last fragments of a frown still gleaming in her eyes.

"It's okay, I understand. Say, why don't we go to bed? We have a long day tomorrow, with work &amp; Torn &amp; Ashelin being here for dinner tomorrow," I say as I stand up, pulling Meldalvyna up with me, my smile pulling into a full, gentle, encouraging grin. Meldalvyna smiles lightly &amp; pulls me towards the bathroom to brush teeth &amp; hair. Once out of the bathroom &amp; upstairs, I kiss her forhead before parting ways with her for the night, going to the bedroom I share with Hunter, the bipedal feline already laying down in his makeshift bed &amp; aspleep. Laying down myself after sliding out of my day clothes &amp; into a muscle shirt &amp; shorts, I almost immediately fall asleep, neither of my alters having said anything since before dinner, &amp; being happy about it.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Walking into my own room after kissing Jak goodnight, I immediately close the door behind me &amp; start getting undressed. In pajamas a minute later, I decide to put my hair in a quick, messy braid &amp; lay down. As soon as my head hits my pillow I fall asleep. What seems like a second later, I wake to the sound of my alarm on my communicator going off, signalling that it is time for me to get up. Stretching as I get out of my comfortable mass of blankets, pillows, &amp; matress, I disactivate the alarm &amp; start getting dressed for the day. Once dressed, I walk out of my room &amp; outside Jak's room &amp; bring my head close to the door, listening for sounds of consciousness on the other side.

Not hearing anything coming from the interior of the room, I quietly open the door &amp; peer inside. Still in his bed, I see Jak's face, peacefully blank in his sleep, all the past pain &amp; bad occurances that are usually visible in his face now invisible. Tiptoeing into the room, I creep up next to his bed &amp; observe his face for a second, trying to determine how to wake him up without annoying him.

"_I should kiss him awake. There's no way he'd be grouchy after that kind of wakeup_," I think to myself, a smile stretching my lips as the thought comes to mind. Still smiling, I lean forward &amp; give Jak a small peck on the forhead. Leaning back, I look at his face to find a faint, though still unconscious grin creasing his lips. With a silent chuckle &amp; a shake of my head, I lean in again &amp; give him a series of soft kisses from his forhead down to his cheek, then to his lips. Jak's eyes flutter open sleepily as I wake him up, a full on smile coming to his face once he realizes it's me.

"Good morning love," Jak greets tiredly, a happy grin on his face as he sits up, a small yawn escaping his throat a second later.

"Morning Jak. Come on, you should get dressed, like you said, long day today, so it's good to start early," I say, earning a confused tilt of the head from Jak, a thougthful crease between his brows, trying to figure out what I meant.

"Wait, how long until we have to go to work?" Jak asks, his mind still slow from sleep as he gives his arms a good stretch.

"About an hour &amp; a half. I gave us enough time to make ourselves our own breakfasts, get ready, &amp; sit around before we leave," I answer, Jak nodding in tired understanding before standing from his makeshift bed, glancing over to the empty pallet next to his to see it lacking Hunter.

"I'll head out &amp; put on most of my Freedom League uniform &amp; head down stairs to brush my hair while you get dressed," I say after getting a patient glance from Jak as he picks up a stack of his clothes from a nightstand. Walking out of the room &amp; closing the door behind me, I go into my room &amp; slide into the remainder of my Freedom League uniform, minus the cloak, helmet, &amp; gloves.

After putting on most of my armor, I head downstairs &amp; into the bathroom. Taking my hair out of its messy weaving, I brush my hair back to its prefered smooth appearance. Careful of my horns, I put my hair into a neat braid, letting the end of the braid slap against the small of my back when I let it go.

"Hey Meldalvyna, what can I do for breakfast?" Jak's tired voice asks through the door suddeny, his voice surprising me since I didn't hear him coming down the stairs.

"You could make yourself some eggs... the pan you will want is in the second bottom cupboard from the refrigerator, the spatula is in the drawer to the left of the sink, &amp; all the ingredients you'll need are in the refrigerator," I answer back, eggs sounding good for breakfast for myself as I get out my face soap, along with other facial products from both Haven City &amp; Warfang &amp; turn the water on.

"Thanks Mel," Jak says with a yawn as the sound of his boots hitting the floor as he walks away becoming fainter with the increasing distance. Wetting my face in the water, I hear Jak getting into the cupboards &amp; drawers in the kitchen. As I lather my face with a variety of cherry scented soaps, face washes, &amp; lotions, the sound of a liquid loudly sizzling in one of the pans makes its way into the bathroom, the smell of the cooking eggs wafting into the small washroom a few seconds later. Putting my towel back after patting my face &amp; horns dry, I walk out of the bathroom &amp; into the kitchen to see Jak happily munching away at a plate of scrambled eggs, a faint smile on his face.

"I washed the stuff I used in case you wanted something different, but their in the drying rack if you wanted eggs," Jak says when he catches sight of me, the tired tone to his voice not as obvious as before, his general appearance looking more awake than before.

"You know, I think I'll have some eggs too, sounds good," I say as I open the door of the refrigerator, intending to grab the milk &amp; seagull eggs, only to stop when I notice something strange.

"_Why are three of __**those**__ eggs missing?_" I ask myself mentally, noticing that two eggs from the left side of the fridge are missing, instead of two of the seagull eggs, which are on the right. Looking behind me to Jak, I stare down the eggs on Jak's plate, then turn back to the two missing eggs.

"_So, that means he's eating... aw gross_," I think to myself in disgust, holding back a vocal gag, though very unsuccessful in holding back the physical motion of it when I realize exactly what Jak is eating. Turning slowly so I don't make myself gag again, I come &amp; sit down next to Jak, trying to keep the look of utter disgust off of my face.

"Hey Jak, what side of the fridge did you get those eggs from?" I ask slowly &amp; softly, the tone of my voice making Jak look up with a curious &amp; concerned expression on his face. Thankfully, he puts the fork down, but sadly, he swallows the bite of eggs in his mouth, making me want to frown &amp; urging me to gag again.

"The left side, why?" Jak asks, his eyebrows furrowing inquisitively, his head just barely tipped to the side. Taking a deep breath, I try to figure out how to tell him just what he is eating without being to blunt or harsh about it, trying to come up with a way for him to realize it on his own.

"Th-those weren't gull eggs," I answer, earning a look of surpise from Jak as he glances down at his plate &amp; back up to me, a glimmer of building concern in his eyes.

"Then what kind of eggs were they?" Jak asks, a look of complete seriousness waking him up entirely, his alert eyes searching my face. Fighting the frown on my face, I pick through my next answer, &amp; decide to relate it to birds.

"Well, you know how a lot of the store bought eggs aren't fertalized, right?" I ask, beginning to try to lead him into answering his own question, knowing he'll be in disgust very soon. Standing, I grab the trash can &amp; set it next to Jak before re-taking my seat on his other side, earning a strange, asking frown from the man I love as he nods, still not getting at where I trying to lead him.

"And you know what that would make the eggs in respect of the chicken being female, right?" I ask, leading him further into his realization.

"Yeah, it's the chicken's menstrual cycle," Jak answers slowly, his thought process obvious on his face, trying to figure out what I'm trying to get at.

"Good... now keep that in mind... what other animals lay eggs?" I ask, holding back another gag, trying to rush the revelation so I wouldn't have to keep on seeing the cooked eggs on his plate &amp; stopping myself from gagging.

"Well, there's birds, a couple mammals, &amp; repti-..." Jak pauses, the look of realization hitting him hard, stopping mid sentence as he realizes just what he had been eating, his eyes widening as he looks between me &amp; the scrambled eggs on his plate. Jak closes his eyes as a digusted frown creases his lips downward a second later, pushing the plate away from him, putting his face in one of his hands once the plate is a good enough distance away.

"Why in the Precursor's name would you keep dragon eggs in the fridge?" Jak asks through his hand, keeping his eyes closed &amp; his face turned downwards at the table.

"The scent of them rotting keeps Metalheads away... we keep them in the fridge to make them last long enough to use in the seasons where the Metalheads are most active," I explain, a frown also coming to my face. A grim frown overtakes Jak's face as he lifts his head from his hand, his eyes opening to look me dead in the eye.

"Wh... who's eggs are they?" Jak says, the sound of a nervous, disgusted hard swallow echoing from his throat, his eyes never leaving mine. My mind begins to overload as I try to figure out how to answer him, my nerves breaking down beneath his dreadfully penetrating stare.

"Think about how big they were before you cracked them, &amp; who they would seem to belong to the most," I answer, not wanting to come right out &amp; say who they belonged too. Jak pauses for a moment, his eyes darting back &amp; forth in thought, before locking back onto mine, his answer obvious in his eyes.

"Th... they were yours... no offense, but I think I'm going to be sick," Jak says as he stands up from his seat with a souring look to his face, walking towards the bathroom at a quick but steady pace.

"I'll make you something else if you do end up being sick," I say, standing myself &amp; dumping Jak's disgusting plate into the trash as he walks away, a hum in agreement coming from Jak, the look on his face as he rounds the corner making it obvious he didn't trust himself to open his mouth without vomiting. Walking back to the fridge, I pull out a pair of frozen yakkow patties &amp; a couple of breakfast biscuits. Putting the patties on a small skillet to heat up, I cut the two biscuits in half &amp; set them aside. Jak walks back in a minute later, a disgusted frown on his face.

"Let's tell NO ONE about what happened this morning," Jak says, grabbing a new plate from the cabinet.

"Tell me about it... here's a biscuit &amp; sausage sandwich for you," I say, putting one of the thin patties on one of the halves of biscuits before closing it with its opposite half, setting it down on his plate before putting together my own breakfast.

**Author's Note:** Again, sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out, as well as the latest few! I hope the end was just gross &amp; slightly amusing enough to make up for it! Trust me, when I got the idea for that part, I found it really gross, yet I still laughed till I teared up... Until next time, which hopefully will actually be on time, tigerdj98 signing out! :D


	39. Breakfast Aftermath & A Wishlist

**Author's Note:** Hello ever'body, how ya doin'? Again, sorry for last chapter being nearly a week late! Anyways, I would like to hear what all my readers think of my story so far (I can see the number of people who visit my story, so I know it's not just two people who look at each chapter), because I would honestly like to know what I could do to make each chapter a bit more enjoyable!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Sitting down with my breakfast in hand, I glance at Jak, watching as he gives the new meal a wary glare before taking a bite out of the sausage &amp; biscuit sandwich. Tearing into his breakfast second later, I hold in a laugh as I watch Jak's apparent hunger take over him, his meal gone in a matter of seconds.

"What's so funny?" Jak asks when he notices me silently laughing at him, licking the remaining crumbs off his lips.

"You must have been pretty hungry," I chuckle, my answer making Jak roll his eyes, an amused grin on his face.

"Anyone'd be hungry after relieving their stomach of its contents," Jak says sarcastically, a small, quick &amp; barely noticeable frown flashing across expression. I can't help the frown that immediately falls to my face, his revelation sending the small release of tension spiraling down into a feeling of uneasiness.

"So you did vomit... sorry," I say, letting my eyes drift downward in a mixture of embarassment &amp; self anger for not telling Jak which side he should have gotten the eggs from.

"It's not your fault... I didn't really think of the size difference, &amp; now that I think back, _**those**_ eggs had a weird rough &amp; flakey texture to their shells," Jak says with a barely noticeable frown as I scarf down my breakfast, attempting to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible.

"It is too, I didn't tell you which side to get the eggs from," I say, trying to make the point that it was mostly my fault that Jak had eaten the eggs. Standing, I take Jak's plate from him &amp; go to the sink &amp; wash the two dishes, Jak walking just beside me. Taking the plates from my hand once their washed, he puts them in the drying rack.

"I should have asked when I saw the two groups of eggs... fine, it's both our fault that it happened," Jak says with a shake of his head, noticing the small grimace I made when he tried to make another go at it being his fault. Not wanting to argue anymore, I just smile &amp; walk to the bathroom, pulling Jak along behind me. Stopping infront of the bathroom door, I can't help taking a wary sniff in the air, not wanting to walk into a puke-scented bathroom.

"I flushed after I vomited &amp; lit one of the matches that's in there," Jak says, apparently having heard my sniffing. Taking a deep breath, I open the door &amp; walk into the bathroom, taking yet another cautious sniff, Jak stepping in behind me &amp; closing the door.

"Just so you know, you're not going to get ANY kisses on the lips until you brush your teeth at least TWICE in a row _**&amp;**_ use mouthwash," I say, not finding any afflicting sents in the air, walking up to the bathroom sink &amp; setting up my toothbrush to brush my teeth, turning to point at him for emphasis as he walks up next to me.

"Twice? Ah, wait, yeah, that makes sense... I'll do that, don't want to miss out on any of your kisses," Jak says with a smirk, about to protest before realizing the reason behind it, going to grab his comb, my hand flashing out &amp; stopping his. Jak looks to me with a raised eyebrow, silently asking me why I stopped his hand.

"You &amp; I can start brushing our teeth together, &amp; by the time we finish, you'll have to brush again, so I thought that I could comb your hair &amp; goatee for you," I explain, his arm slowly coming down as I answer his soundless question. Nodding, Jak grabs his own toothbrush &amp; sets it up. Putting our toothbrushes in our mouthes at the same time, we begin brushing our teeth together. After a couple of minutes of nonstop scrubbing, we spit out our toothpaste &amp; rinse off our toothbrushes, I putting mine away as Jak puts another glob of toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

"Here's the comb... you'll let up when I go to spit right?" Jak asks while handing me the little black comb, an eyebrow just barely raising in the not so important question.

"Of course I will," I answer with a smile, walking behind Jak &amp; getting my arms into a ready position above his head. Jak starts brushing his teeth a second later, giving me the signal to start combing through his green-blond hair. Gently pulling the comb through his surprisingly soft hair, I tease every single knot out quickly &amp; painlessly for Jak, letting up when he leans forward to spit. Finishing not too long after, I set the comb down &amp; wait for Jak to finish brushing his teeth.

"Why'd you stop?" Jak asks between spits, looking up at me in the mirror, grabbing the mouthwash after rinsing off the corners of his mouth, his eyes shining with the curious off-hand question.

"I was waiting to comb your goatee," I answer, smiling back at him in the mirror when he looks at me, picking back up the comb &amp; walking to stand next to Jak at the sink instead of behind him. Jak fills the cup of the mouthwash with the oral cleansing liquid, pouring the substance into his mouth a second later &amp; turning towards me, swishing the fluid in his mouth. With a small, content smile, I comb his goatee, using the same quick gentleness I had used on the hair on his scalp. Both of us finishing near the same time, I pull the comb out of Jak's goatee a final time, Jak spitting out the mouthwash into the sink &amp; rinsing it down the drain a second later.

"I don't think I've ever had this minty of a flavor in my mouth," Jak says after taking an exaggerated inhale &amp; exhale, a half-smirk on his face. Shaking my head with a laughing smile, I open the door &amp; start going up the stairs, Jak's hand flashing to my arm. Turning, I look at Jak to see a question as to where I'm going in his eyes.

"I'm just going upstairs to grab the rest of your Freedom League uniform," I say, answering his silent question with a smiling shake of my head, an understanding nod from Jak being my signal to continue my trip up the stairs. Walking into Jak's room, I grab the remainder of his uniform &amp; the pack he usually wears on his back. Gathering the multiple things in an arm, I head back into the hall &amp; down the stairs, Jak waiting for me with a smile on his face at the bottom of the stairwell. Handing him his stuff once I reach the landing of the stairs, he wraps his free hand around mine &amp; steals a kiss before leading me outside &amp; into the cold Haven City autumn morning.

"So, are you up for doing what we did yesterday? To get to the extraction point I mean?" Jak asks, a gentle, yet obviously hopeful grin on his face. Grinning at his puppy-like begging, I nod my head &amp; get into position behind him as Jak slides his pack on &amp; some of his Freedom League uniform. Giving me a thumbs up, I jump into the air &amp; hover over Jak until I'm at his shoulder, Jak holding out his arms at shoulder level with his feet together. Wrapping my arms around his upper body &amp; my legs around his own, I lift us both into the air &amp; retake the same route I had yesterday, earning the exact same excited &amp; andrenaline-rushed laughter of joy from Jak. Landing at the extraction point a few minutes later, we wait smiling for the air-tran to come into view.

The transport zoomer comes into view a couple minutes later, the vehicle slowly lowering to the ground a few feet infront of us, it's back hatch opening as it's stabilizers &amp; landing gear making the landing of the large machine safe &amp; gentle. Rushing out of the cold morning air &amp; into the blissfully warm air of the air-tran, we take a seat next to each other as the transport zoomer lifts back into the air, the door closing slower than the two of us would like it to, huddling close to each other to stay warm, using each other's body heat to warm the other up faster.

"Cold this morning, huh? I'm surprised it didn't snow overnight," Luke comments, glancing back at us &amp; seeing us snuggled against each other &amp; shivering.

"Yeah, definitely was cold enough last night... so Torn told us yesterday that he &amp; Governess Ashelin are supposed to come with you two to the drop-point, what's that all about?" Carl asks us, turning his head to look at us once his co-pilot returns his attention to driving.

"My parents are holding a dinner party, but it's not anything fancy, just a casual hang-out really, my stepfather likes company," I answer, pulling away from Jak's side, finally warm enough to not have to steal his body heat.

"Oh, that sounds interesting. Good luck later I guess," Luke says, this time keeping his eyes on where he's directing the vehicle, Luke nodding to his friend's statement before returning his attention to driving the machine as well.

"Thanks, knowing my mother &amp; I are alike in our short tempers &amp; how I first reacted around Governess Ashelin, we may need it," I say with a slight smirk, remembering in grimacing detail how much I disliked Ashelin at first.

"What, did you not like Ms. Ashelin at first?" Carl asks, keeping his attention, the sound of his voice &amp; the scent coming from him making it obvious that he is, &amp; probably has a curious expression on his face.

"No, not really... she acted like I was a kid or something when we first met, like she didn't like me being around Jak," I reply with a grimace, remembering all the negative &amp; disliking scents I had gotten from the Baroness.

"Well at least now you two are okay, right?" Luke asks this time, a slight tinge of concern in his voice, the smell of cautious worry coming off him filling the cabin of the air-tran.

"Yeah, we're okay now, not exactly friends, but most definitely not enemies... acquaintences that can actually stand each other for more than an hour I guess," I answer with a small laugh, earning a raised eyebrow from Jak, an amused grin sliding onto his lips.

"Okay good. We have arrived, talk to you two later," Carl says, the transport zoomer coming to a sudden landing, I not having noticed the feeling of it descending. Standing, Jak &amp; I wave goodbye before the back hatch of the vehicle can open, putting up my hood to keep the people outside from seeing my face. Rushing out of the door once it's open, we push &amp; shove our way through the ocean of paparazzi &amp; news reporters &amp; into the safe confines of the Freedom League HQ.

**Jak's POV**

Running through the throng of people, pulling Meldalvyna behind me, we rush through the doors of the Freedom League HQ &amp; into the main hall of the building, Meldalvyna almost slamming the glass door shut, immediately cutting the view of anyone outside indoors, the windows made of one-way glass. Taking a deep breath to collect ourselves, I gently pull Meldalvyna with me to punch our time cards &amp; walk to the conference room to start yet another day of getting soldiers acquainted with &amp; accepting of Meldalvyna.

"**Finally, out that crowd of nosy-ass idiots**," Dark growls as I push open the doors to the conference room, still a bit grumpy from being woken up by this morning's breakfast scare, being a morning person not in his nature.

"_I'm sorry to tell you this Dark, but it's their job to be 'nosy', but they are most definitely NOT idiots_," Light says as I walk into the soon to be full room, his tone suggesting that if he could, he would be shaking his head at Dark's actions.

"**I don't give a flying shit if they you think they are or not, I'll call them dumbasses all I want**," Dark snarls in return as I hunt for a chair for Meldalvyna &amp; I, obviously not enjoying being up this early at all.

"_You may think that &amp; call them that now, but it will, as you would say, 'bite you in the ass', one day_," Light says when I finally find the two chairs, again scorning Dark for his actions.

"Guys, shut up before I do something TO make you two shut up," I threaten mentally as I carry the two chairs to the front of the room, knowing the one thing that annoys the hell out of the both of them, that one thing being talking to Jinx, his voice making them both cringe in annoyance every time they hear him talk. They both immediately silence, a the sudden quiet making me smirk a little.

"What's that little grin for?" Meldalvyna asks as I set down one of the chairs for her, noticing the smile on my face, an eyebrow raised in amused curiosity.

"My alters were arguing &amp; I got them to shut up faster than I have in a week," I answer, the smile growing when Meldalvyna chuckles &amp; shakes her head, sitting in the offered chair. Setting down &amp; sitting in my own chair next to hers, I scoot both the chair &amp; myself a little closer, not liking the already small distance between us.

"So, you ready for another whole day of getting people to come onto our side of the argument?" Meldalvyna asks with a small frown, having taken down her hood while I was looking for the chairs, obviously already dreading the soon to come crowd of Freedom League soldiers.

"Yeah, sure," I answer sarcastically, not exactly wanting to do what is coming either. Meldalvyna grins &amp; shakes her head at my derisive reply, her attention turning to the rest of the room, eyes scanning the walls &amp; floor of the empty room, silently observing her surroundings. Feeling awkward in the lull of conversation, I try to think of something to talk about next before the first squadron can come in. An idea flashes to my attention, the thought being very important &amp; a definite conversation-maker.

"Hey Mel, what do you want for Christmas &amp; your birthday?" I ask, the question immediately catching Meldalvyna's attention, her eyes wide with a mixture of surprise &amp; thought.

"I... I don't know... you know you don't have to get me anything... wait, my birthday is only three days after Christmas, why would you get me something for Christmas AND my birthday?" Meldalvyna asks, her head tilting to the side slightly, her beautifully green eyes searching mine for the answer.

"Because I love you, &amp; I want to show you my love in any way possible that you'll take. That &amp; I know I can get you almost anything you want for BOTH occasions," I answer, a soft smile on my face. A light, dark purple blush floods her cheeks as an embarassed smile comes to her lips, her eyes darting back &amp; forth in thought.

"Well... I guess I would like another outfit, something you'd like of course, since I picked out the last one... &amp; maybe a pistol of my own, I've seen a few in the gun range I like; they were the ones I'd ask to use every time we went," Meldalvyna says shyly, her eyes darting between mine &amp; her knees, the second thing she said she wanted surprising me.

"Wait, you want a gun?" I ask, not really believing her request as being a serious one. Meldalvyna's eyes immediately lock onto my own, searching my own, her expression asking me if I was serious or not.

"Yeah... it'll be a memento to all the time you spent teaching me how to use one... I liked going to the gun range with you &amp; watching you go through the different courses on the screens," Meldalvyna answers, her eyes still watching mine, but through them I can tell she was thinking, most likely remembering the gun courses, a distant smile on her face.

"Huh, didn't really think of it that way, I guess I was too surprised by you saying you wanted a pistol to think about it too deeply," I say, pausing to think back myself, realizing that she had a smile on her face every time I exited one of the courses.

"Would you like a zoomer? I could get a specially customized one for you, make sure it could go fast enough for you to be happy with it," I ask, the suggestion making Meldalvyna's eyes go wide with surprise, a slight hint of horror in her expression throwing me off for a second.

"No no no no! That's WAY too expensive! Please, I don't want you spending too much on me, save it for your friends &amp; for yourself," Meldalvyna nearly yells, her entire body shaking with her sincerity, the force of her own panicing making her stand, obviously horrified at the idea of me spending that much on her.

"Okay, geez... I just thought about how much you like driving the zoomers, that's all," I say, holding my hands up to show her that it was just a suggestion, not a definite &amp; set-in-stone gift. Meldalvyna sits back down, a sad look on her face.

"Sorry, I overreacted... I just don't want you bankrupting yourself over wanting to get me something for my birthday or Christmas," Meldalvyna apologizes, a guilty shine to her eyes that makes my heart drop in my chest.

"I understand, I'm the same way... it's just that I love you, &amp; I want to make that as apparent as possible without having to force you into anything you might be uncomfortable with, or scaring the living shit out of you &amp; making it seem like I'm trying to rush anything" I say, wrapping an arm around Meldalvyna's shoulders &amp; pulling her against me, trying to comfort her, not liking the sad expression advertised by her entire body.

"Jak, I love you with all my heart... is there anything you would like for Christmas?" Meldalvyna asks after a minute or two, pulling herself away from my embrace, surprising me for a third time in the same day.

"**Ooh, I know what to ask for...we should tell her we want to get s-**"

"Dark, I fucking swear if you say that, I'll go &amp; purposefully talk to Jinx &amp; FORCE you to listen to him," I growl at him mentally, knowing what he was going to suggest before I stopped him.

"_I agree with Jak, you can't go &amp; ask her for THAT on Christmas Dark, you lecherous crocadog_," Light scorns, equally as disgusted with Dark's suggestion as I was, though probably more so than I could even imagine due to his pure Eco, Dark growling at Light's insult.

"Jak, what are you frowning for?" Meldalvyna asks, an eyebrow raised in curiosity, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Oh, it was something Dark said... you don't want to know. Anyways, I'd be happy with anything you got me, or if you didn't get me anything at all," I answer with a smile, trying to keep Dark's attempted suggestion from making me blush &amp; be completely sincere at the same time. Meldalvyna nods, her eyes darting back &amp; forth in thought. Suddenly, the doors burst open &amp; a large group of Freedom League soldiers walk into the room, ending our conversation. Standing, we both prepare to give the same speech for the umpteenth time, already bored out of our minds.

Ten hours later, we finally clock out, having finished talking the remainder of the Freedom League into trusting Meldalvyna, tired, but slightly cheerful smiles on our faces as we start walk out into the main hall, ready to leave, hand in hand. At the doors waiting for us, I immediately catch sight of Torn, Ashelin, Daxter, &amp; Tess, each pair dressed in a formal &amp; co-ordinated way I've never seen on any of them before. Torn is in a casual dress shirt &amp; pants with a heavy dark reddish-brown coat pulled over his shoulders, Ashelin in a dark red strapless dress, a dark navy blue coat draped over her arm. Daxter on the other hand is in a dark blueish-green dress shirt &amp; black pants with a red tie &amp; a matching fedora, Tess in a long-sleeved green dress, it's shade matching that of her usual belly-shirt, small black coats already put on, though unzipped.

"Jak, Meldalvyna! I was wonderin' when you two 'ere goin' ta show up," Daxter greets cheerfully once he notices Meldalvyna &amp; I approaching, an excited smile on his furry face as he joggs up to meet us, not even taking a second to jump onto his familiar shoulder, Tess following Daxter a few feet behind, Meldalvyna kneeling down &amp; lifting the female ottsel onto her shoulder as she straightens herself out.

"Daxter, Tess, don't you two look lovely tonight... I didn't expect to see you here," Meldalvyna greets as we join the rest of the group at the door, a confused glimmer in her eyes, contradicted by a happy smile on her lips. Tess turns &amp; smiles at her, opening her mouth to speak, only for Daxter to but in before she can speak.

"Yeah, I overheard that Torn &amp; Ashelin were havin' a dinner party at Meldalvyna's place, &amp; I thought 'Jak wouldn't go &amp; forget ta invite his best bud &amp; his gal', I hope ya two don't mind the intrusion though!," Daxter says, his attention starting on me, but turning to Meldalvyna towards the end, indirectly asking if it was alright if he &amp; his fiancée tagged along, Tess smiling &amp; nodding in agreement.

"It's alright with me, &amp; I doubt my stepdad would mind a little extra company... it's my mother I'm worried about," Meldalvyna says, her face scrunching into a concerned &amp; thoughtful expression, trying to give them, mostly Daxter, a warning about how Cynder's might react to the unplanned for company in her eyes.

"I got you Mel, I'll make sure Daxter behaves himself," Tess giggles, earning a 'hey' from Daxter. Torn clears his throat, bringing our attention to him &amp; Ashelin.

"Hey Torn, Ashelin... Torn, I don't think I've ever seen you this dressed up, I told you two it was just a casual thing, nothing special to dress up for," I say with a smirk, noticing how uncomfortable Torn looked in the formal wear.

"We wanted to make sure to make a good impression. Also, I hope they don't mind, but we brought a few bottles of wine from the Naughty Ottsel with us... the best bottles there anyhow," Ashelin says, motioning to a couple white plastic bags with a bottle of wine in each with a few extra glasses I hadn't seen dangling from her arm when I first saw her. I can't help but raise an eyebrow at the two bottles, doubting it to be enough liquor for us all.

"Hey, I tried to tell 'em it probably wouldn't be enough, considerin' Mel's stepparents' size an' all," Daxter says, immediately knowing &amp; translating the meaning behind my expression.

"Oh, it's alright, knowing my mother &amp; stepfather, they probably have a few of their best wines &amp; ciders from both Haven &amp; Warfang out, so we'll probably have enough to go around a few times," Meldalvyna says with a small grin, Ashelin's &amp; Torn's eye widening a little, most likely trying to imagine just how large the bottles will end up being.

"Anyhow, we should probably get going... I don't know how long the dinner party is going to last, but I doubt you'll want to walk down when its near pitch black &amp; cold as hell out," I say, getting everyone's attention, all of them nodding in agreement. Standing infront of the door, I shove it open &amp; pull Meldalvyna through the doors &amp; towards the waiting air-tran once everyone is ready, Torn &amp; Ashelin following not too far behind, Daxter clinging to my shoulder, Tess to Meldalvyna's.

**Author's Note:** Well, that was a bit boring, but at least I got it out on time! So, next chapter will be the walk to &amp; actual event of the dinner party... again sorry for posting my previous chapters so late, but I couldn't really do anything to prevent those from being hindered. Until next time, tigerdj98 signing out!


	40. A Dinner Party at the Dragons'

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone who reads this, &amp; sorry for being late again! Band was a major killer on this chapter, not to mention a few other little pains that I've been experiencing besides just school getting in the way. So, I know that the last chapter was pretty boring, so hopefully this one will be a bit more entertaining (especially with one of Dark's few lines in this chapter D: ), &amp; will present a way to get closer to the end of this thing! Yeah, it's about half-way through, &amp; there's still that whole other genre we need to cover! Anyhow, without further ado, the proper credentials (so I don't get sued or something to that affect!)

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Anyhow, we should probably get going... I don't know how long the dinner party is going to last, but I doubt you'll want to walk down when its near pitch black &amp; cold as hell out," Jak says, trying to get everyone moving. We all nod in agreement, knowing how fast it gets both dark &amp; cold this time of the year. Jak makes his way to the door, setting a hand on the glass, his other hand at his side. Walking up to him, I flip up my hood &amp; grab his free hand, knowing that he is about to rush out the door.

Feeling Tess's grip tighten on my shoulder, &amp; seeing Daxter's tighten on Jak's shoulder, I give Jak's hand a squeeze, signaling that Tess &amp; I are ready. Without a second to lose, Jak shoves open the door &amp; pulls me behind him, Torn &amp; Ashelin following closely behind me all the way through the thick crowd of news reporters &amp; into the back of the waiting air-tran. The door of the transport zoomer closes quickly once we are all inside as we ascend, closing out the cold winter afternoon &amp; allowing the warmth of the vehicle's heaters to bring hot comfort back to our bodies.

"How long is the ride to the drop-point?" Ashelin asks, taking off her coat while sitting on one of the benches, allowing the heat to warm her exposed arms &amp; shoulders directly, Torn sitting next to her a second later, his coat still on, looking between Jak &amp; I with the same question in his eyes.

"Not very long, about five or six minutes at the most... well, with good weather, we haven't seen it in bad conditions yet," Jak answers before I can, taking a seat on the bench opposite of the Cheif of Arms &amp; the Governess, his elbows resting just behind his knees. Taking a seat next to him, I pull down my hood &amp; scoot up against him, stealing his warmth &amp; trading it for mine. Torn &amp; Ashelin nod after a second, soaking in the information, their scents thoughtful &amp; calculating, trying to gauge how far into the mountains that would take us.

"How long is the walk to your house, Meldalvyna?" Torn asks, changing his attention from Jak to me, his eyes seeming it dig into my own with a burning force, silently &amp; forcefully demanding an answer without making it a direct order, almost like a parent asking a child what they did that day.

"It takes anywhere from thirty to forty-five minutes, depending on how long you can walk at a certain pace, it's a long walk up a steep incline" I reply, tring to make the response as short &amp; detailed as possible. Torn grunts softly, leaning back against the metal walls of the air-tran, a frown creasing his face, Ashelin's face copying his a second later, realizing just how miserable the walk is going to be.

"Hey, we told you to dress casual &amp; warm," Jak chuckles, knowing the meaning behind Torn's &amp; Ashelin's discouraged &amp; annoyed expressions. Torn rolls his eyes &amp; Ashelin huffs, Daxter snickering at their faces, having been on the walk up the path to my home before, Tess quietly scolding his behavior a second later.

"If you guys want, we can have either Jak or Meldalvyna direct us to the building instead of using the drop-point," Carl suggests, turning his attention to us for a second before he returns is to the front of the transport zoomer.

"That sounds like a good idea... but I don't know it from an aerial standpoint, so Mel, I guess you're up," Jak says, looking at me with a hopeful glimmer in his eye, obviously not wanting to walk too far in the cold either. Noding, I leave my seat &amp; walk into the cockpit of the machine, standing between the two pilots. Getting my bearings from what I can see through the windshield of the air-tran, I direct the pilots to my house.

Upon reaching my home, I gasp at the transformation of just the yard. The path to the front door, usually unlight &amp; rather ragged, is smoothed &amp; aluminated with small, beautiful floating torches, obviously made through my mother's &amp; stepfather's combined Elemental powers.

"Mel, what's wro-" Jak stops mid sentence, having came up to see what had caused what he had thought was a gasp of distress, catching sight of the beautiful alignment of lights along the path, the house lit &amp; refurbished to a gourgeous state of stability &amp; grace, the once cracked &amp; crumbling building now appearing as if brand new &amp; freshly constructed, the slowly disappearing sunlight bringing the image together wonderfully.

"This is your house? It's beautiful," Luke says while glancing back at me as I nod to his question, his voice quiet, almost a whisper. Looking back to the front of the transport zoomer, he begins to mess with the controls, bringing the vehicle to a clear spot in the lawn &amp; bringing it to a landing. Turning back to the rest of the people in the air-tran, I see that everyone has already put on their coats. Sliding my hood up over my horns &amp; wrapping my wings around my body, I start to make my way to the back hatch of the transport zoomer, a sudden thought stopping me.

"Hey Carl, Luke, would you like to join us?" I ask, turning to the two pilots in question. They look between each other, a silent conversation going on between them, Luke shrugging his shoulders &amp; bobbing his chin downward, Carl making unreadable expressions for everyone but Luke.

"Are you sure it'd be okay?" Carl asks, standing from his seat, Luke following not far behind, a single eyebrow raised on each of their faces.

"Yeah, it'd be fine, my parents usually make more than they have to anyways," I reply, remembering the many times I have eaten what I had for dinner the night before as lunch the next day. Luke &amp; Carl look between each other again, having yet another silent conversation between themselves that only they could understand.

"If that's the case, I guess we could join you guys, but only if it is okay with your parents," Luke says, pulling a level downward, the door opening a second later behind us. As we all walk out of the vehicle, I turn to see Carl waiting for Luke as he closes the back of the air-tran with a small remote, putting the device in a pocket of his uniform. Catching back up with us, we all walk down the newly lit path towards my front door.

"Meldalvyna, how are those flames floating like that?" Tess asks from her new perch on Jak's right shoulder, opposite of Daxter, her question catching everyone's attention, Torn &amp; Ashelin passing their hands underneath the flames, their eyes wide &amp; brows creased in puzzled wonder.

"They are a mixture of two Elements, Fire is the flame, obviously, but the Element of Wind is what is suspending it there... it could either be my stepfather mixing his Elements together, or a joint effort between my mother &amp; stepdad," I answer the ottsellette, turning my attention to the rest of the group, my hood hiding the smile on my face, but my cheerful voice making the joyful expression on my face obvious. Everyone's mouths drop open a sliver, even Jak's, not really having seen more than one Element used in a single time, their expressions making my smile grow even wider.

"Can ya do stuff like this, Mel?" Daxter asks, glancing between me &amp; the hovering torches, unable to decide which to look at.

"I'm getting there, but I can't breathe fire like Spyro can, but I do have all the Elements my mother does," I respond, earning a lot of awed looks from everyone, a little less from Jak, he knowing what my Elements are, though he hasn't seen most of them in action.

"Well, we should probably be getting inside, it's a lot warmer in the house than out here around the torches," I say, trying to corral everyone into the house, starting to feel the biting chill of the approaching winter night. Everyone tears their awe-filled gazes away from the torches &amp; towards Jak &amp; me, the looks in their eyes telling me they want us to lead the way into the house.

Nodding, I turn &amp; start walking towards my home, Jak walking right next to me. As I approach the door, I catch a fleeting glimpse of Sparx's face leaving the window &amp; his bright yellow glow floating towards the door, disappearing from sight a second later. I can't help but grin as the door opens a second later, Sparx flying through a second later, my double stepuncle earning confused glances from everyone except Jak &amp; Daxter.

"Hello all, I am Meldalvyna's double stepuncle Sparx... I see you two brought more than expected," Sparx says with a teasing smile on his face once he reaches our group, "that is okay though, my stepbrother &amp; his wife can surely make more to be enough for everyone. Please, follow me inside, the remaining introductions can be done there."

We all do as the dragonfly says, tailing behind Sparx all the way inside. Once inside, Jak &amp; I are the first to see the newly arranged decor &amp; furniture of the house. On the walls are scroll paintings of famous dragons, among pictures of my family &amp; me, both painted on scrolls &amp; Haven-made. Looking to the fire pit, I notice that instead of the two piles of pillows &amp; my couch being in their normal positions, all the pillows are arranged in a circle around the fire pit, the only break in the ring being a single path through the pillows, the only similarities between the old arrangement &amp; the new one being the position of my couch, which is now covered in a new dark red, almost black, velvet, &amp; Sparx's cushioned bench, now covered in a dark, shiny amber cloth.

"Okay, feel free to leave your coats on the rack to your left &amp; take a seat around the fire to warm up, I shall go retrieve Spyro &amp; Cynder," Sparx says, buzzing off down the hall leading to my parents room as everyone takes off their coats &amp; hangs them on the indicated rack, Jak &amp; I immediately heading into the living room &amp; taking a seat on my couch, putting my tail behind Jak &amp; against his back once we sit down. A few seconds later, Daxter, Tess, Torn, Ashelin, Carl, &amp; Luke come into the den, finding their own seats, Torn &amp; Ashelin next to each other, Carl &amp; Luke next to each other a few feet away, &amp; Daxter &amp; Tess a few feet Jak &amp; me. Looking around at our group, I notice that all of them had chosen their seats to my &amp; Jak's left, leaving space on my right side for my coming parents.

"Hello everyone, I'm glad to see that we have a few extra guests, _**I**_ am Spyro," my stepfather's voice rings out, bringing everyone's attention to the opening of their hallway, everyone's but Jak's, Daxter's, &amp; my eyes going wide with surprise &amp; awe at Spyro's large size.

"Hello Spyro, I am Cheif of Arms Torn, the woman next to me is Governess Ashelin Praxis, the two in full Freedom League uniform are Carl Stevens &amp; Luke Masterson, &amp; the ottsel in the dress is Tess," Torn says while standing, motioning to each person individually, Ashelin following suit &amp; walking with Torn to greet Spyro with a hand shake. I have to hold in a laugh after Spyro shakes Ashelin's hand, the Governess flexing her hand as she goes back to her seat, making sure the action is out of his sight.

"It is nice to meet you all, my wife, Cynder, will be in shortly. In the mean time, may I inquire each of you how your day is so far?" Spyro asks with a friendly smile while shaking everyone's hand before finding his seat on Jak's &amp; my right. Knowing that it might be a while until my mother comes into the room, I get comfortable in the couch, putting my tail behind me, not paying attention to where I lay it.

"It has been a good day, well for Daxter &amp; me at least," Tess answers, a happy, yet slightly nervous smile on her face, looking around the room at the last part of her sentence.

"I guess I can say the same for Luke &amp; myself," Carl says, glancing between Luke &amp; my stepfather, a small, unreadable smile shared between the two, Spyro's eyes bouncing between the two with a knowing kind of curiosity to them.

"_I wonder what Luke's &amp; Carl's deal is between them... they definitely aren't brothers... maybe their cousins or something... I would ask, but I don't want to make things awkward_," I think to myself, looking between the two pilots of the air-tran with an internal frown of curiosity, trying to figure out why they act the way they do around each other.

"Today has been pretty good, a little boring with all the paper work I had to do, &amp; I do less than Torn does, but nonetheless okay," Ashelin says, a near-straight expression on her face, her eyes drifting to a random spot on the floor for a second before meeting with Spyro's eyes, Torn softly humming in agreement with Ashelin's statement.

"Well, I am glad to hear you all had a good day today, how about you Meldalvyna &amp; Jak?" Spyro asks, turning his attention to us, a gentle smile on his face. Jak looks at me the second my stepdad finishes his question, silently asking me if I want him to answer the question. Okay with either of us answering, I give a simple shrug, saying without words that he could answer if he wants to.

"It was okay... we did what we did yesterday at work... so I guess it was somewhat boring, but it was still good," Jak answers, unconciously leaning back into the sofa, an expression of thought on his face, probably trying to find a way to sum the day up into a quick sentence. Spyro gives a simple nod, taking in all the information just given to him, a small, pleased smile coming onto his expression.

"I see we have already all gathered around," my mother's voice calls out from the hallway, everyone's eyes immediately looking in the direction of her voice. The eyes of all the guests who hadn't already known Cynder go wide with awe, many of them glancing between me &amp; my mom, no doubt noticing our similarities &amp; differences.

"_This is hilarious, so many of them are giving her weird looks like they expected her to be SMALLER than Spyro! Oh, only if they knew that (unless they're me) that female dragons are the larger of the gender_," I think to myself with an inward laugh, making sure that my expression stays straight as I continue to look around at the awe-struck faces of Tess, Torn, Ashelin, Carl, &amp; Luke.

"Guests, this is my wife Cynder. Now that we all are here, we can have proper introductions," Spyro says with a pleasant smile as Cynder walks into the circle of large pillows, choosing her seat next to her husband. Every new person to the building repeats their greetings, shaking hands with my mother &amp; double stepuncle, hilariously executed between Tess &amp; my parents &amp; everyone else with Sparx EXCEPT for Tess.

**Jak's POV**

"Hello everyone, I'm glad to see that we have a few extra guests, _**I**_ am Spyro," the purple dragon's voice calls out happily from the hallway, the sound of his voice catching everyone's attention. As Meldalvyna's stepdad walks towards us, I see Torn's, Ashelin's, Carl's, Luke's, &amp; Tess's eyes go wide with wonder &amp; astonishment at Spyro's size &amp; appearance, most likely expecting something closer to Meldalvyna's build.

"Hello Spyro, I am Cheif of Arms Torn, the woman next to me is Governess Ashelin Praxis, the two in full Freedom League uniform are Carl Stevens &amp; Luke Masterson, &amp; the ottsel in the dress is Tess," Torn says while standing, motioning to each person individually, Ashelin following suit &amp; walking with Torn to greet Spyro with a hand shake.

"It is nice to meet you all, my wife, Cynder, will be in shortly. In the mean time, may I inquire each of you how your day is so far?" Spyro asks with a friendly smile while shaking everyone's hand before finding his seat on Meldalvyna's &amp; my right.

"It has been a good day, well for Daxter &amp; me at least," Tess is the first one to answer, a happy, yet slightly nervous smile on her face, looking around the room at the last part of her sentence.

"I guess I can say the same for Luke &amp; myself," Carl says, glancing between his co-pilot &amp; the large purple dragon, a small, unreadable smile shared between the two, Spyro's lavendar eyes bouncing between the two with a shine of curiosity to them.

"Today has been pretty good, a little boring with all the paper work I had to do, &amp; I do less than Torn does, but nonetheless okay," Ashelin says, a half smile, half frown on her face, her eyes drifting to a indistiguishable spot on the floor for a second before meeting with Spyro's eyes, Torn giving a small grunt in agreement with Ashelin's statement.

"Well, I am glad to hear you all had a good day today, how about you Meldalvyna &amp; Jak?" Spyro asks, turning his attention to us, a happy, soft smile on his face. Looking at Meldalvyna, I ask her with my eyes if I should answer, or if she wanted to answer, getting a shrug from her as a response.

"It was okay... we did what we did yesterday at work... so I guess it was somewhat boring, but it was still good," I answer, not really remembering much from today besides the bad first breakfast, asking what Meldalvyna wanted for her birthday &amp; Christmas, &amp; the fact we finally got through all the squadrons in the Freedom League. Spyro nods, a small smile coming to his face.

"I see we have already all gathered around," Cynder's voice rings out from the hallway, everyone's eyes immediately flashing in the direction of her voice, everyone's eyes but the people who already know her going wide, eyes glancing between Meldalvyna &amp; her mother, definitely noticing the similarities between the two.

"Guests, this is my wife Cynder. Now that we all are here, we can have proper introductions," Spyro says with a pleasant smile as Cynder comes into the circle, sitting next to Spyro. All the introductions needed repeat, this time everyone in our group shaking hands with Cynder &amp; Sparx.

"So, are we hungry?" Spyro asks, standing from his seat next to Cynder, a waiting smile on his face. We all look amongst ourselves before looking back to Spyro, each of us giving a quick nod.

"Good, dinner will be served shortly, I just need to add in the extra meals. I hope everyone likes yakow steak &amp; willing to try some authentic dragon cuisine," Spyro says cheerfully, his smile widening as he walks away &amp; into the kitchen.

"Wait, we have food from Warfang?" Meldalvyna asks, her face drawn into an expression of confusion, her wings &amp; tail flicking upwards with her question.

"Yes, Hunter brought some over when he came over," Cynder replies for her husband, a small smile accompanied by a near invisible, single nod. Meldalvyna's tail &amp; wings relax, her body slumping backward into the couch &amp; against my side.

"_This should be interesting, I wonder what it will taste like_," Light says, voicing my own thoughts, his tone curious.

"**Me too, I hope we get to try more than just food for dragon cuisine later, if ya catch my drift**," Dark chuckles evilly, his suggestive tone making it obvious what he is talking about, the comment making me frown &amp; the blood to start going to my cheeks involuntarily.

"Jak, are you okay?" Meldalvyna asks, obviously noticing my sheepish reaction to Dark's lecherous suggestions, her question drawing everyone elses attention to me.

"Yeah, I just got hot all of a sudden is all," I reply, which isn't entirely a lie due to all the blood rushing to my face &amp; ears, earning a scrutinous glance from both Meldalvyna &amp; her mother.

"Don't lie Jak... what's wrong?" Meldalvyna asks again, sternly this time, turning to face me fully &amp; look me in the eyes.

"Dark said something... inappropriate... just a second ago," I say after a second of determining whether I should just say I got hot agian, looking between Meldalvyna &amp; Cynder, earning a raised eyebrow from both of them, a spark of slight anger in Cynder's eyes at my response. Meldalvyna grins &amp; shakes her head a second later, turning to her original position on the couch, though close enough to be right against my side, not helping my situation with Dark, another evil chuckle of his ringing through my mind. Everyone else's faces contort into expressions of a mixture between confusion &amp; amusement, Daxter's face breaking into a shit-eating grin a second later, probably able to tell that I was trying to keep Dark's suggestion out of my mind &amp; failing miserably, &amp; able to tell exactly what I was mentally yelling at the Dark Eco alter ego.

"What did he say?" Cynder asks, a slight tremor in the air shaking everything in the room with a near silent growl from her throat, the barely audible snarl making my skin crawl, along with everyone to become visibly tense. I take a deep breath, trying to think of a way through the situation without possible bodily harm being included as Cynder seems to become larger, wider, stronger with her quickly mounting anger.

"Hey, is anyone in here allergic to anything food-wise?" Spyro asks, breaking the tension, a forced smile on his face, his eyes, staring hardly at Cynder out of the corners of his eyes, begging. All the guests, including I, silently respond with a motion of the head, all of us coincidentally answering 'no' to his question, too fearful to answer verbally. Cynder glances between her husband, me, &amp; Meldalvyna thrice, then again around the room, her expression thoughtful &amp; angry, before settling back on Spyro. Spyro's expression changes from faux happiness to one of insistence, nodding his head towards Torn &amp; Ashelin, then to Carl &amp; Luke, his gaze just as adamant, though seeming to suggest something important. Nearly a second later, her eyes begin to flash around the room, a look of realization &amp; upset on her face, her body seeming to deflate with her private thoughts.

"I-I'm sorry everyone, my emotions seem to get the better of me at times. I apologize if I frightened you... Spyro, would you like any help cooking the remaining dishes?" Cynder says, her head dropped &amp; her eyes up &amp; on everyone in apology before lifting her head towards Spyro, now trying to make eye contact with everyone else in the room.

"If you want love," Spyro says gently with a soft smile &amp; a single nod, Cynder slowly standing &amp; walking away &amp; into the kitchen, disappearing behind a corner where the stoves are situated. Beginning to follow his wife, Spyro suddenly stops &amp; turns to us, glancing around, a somewhat sheepish smile on his face, obviously having forgotten something he thought was rather important.

"Feel free to look around if you like, &amp; if you wish to explore outside or upstairs, just ask one of us, as long as we aren't preoccupied at the time of course, to show you around," he says before turning back in the direction he had been going, leaving us to our own devices as he &amp; Cynder cook dinner.

"I'm going to go change into something more comfortable, I'll be right back," Meldalvyna says quietly while standing, giving me a pat on the leg as she stands.

"Wait up, that sounds like a good idea," I say, standing as well &amp; following her. Meldalvyna turns around, an eyebrow raised at me like I had suggested something else. Pausing, I try to figure out why she's giving me the strange look, looking around the room to see yet another amused grin on Daxter's face, as well as on everyone elses, including Sparx.

"Seriously guys," I say, immediately realizing what they thought I was suggesting, earning snickers from Torn, Daxter, &amp; even Meldalvyna.

"I'm just going to get into some comfortable clothes, which HAPPENS to be in the same direction she's going," I say, trying to defend my innocent point, but to no avail, everyone laughing this time. Shaking her head, she grabs my hand &amp; pulls me away from everyone else, the action earning loud 'Oooo' from Daxter, obviously enjoying my currently embarrassed behavior. Resisting the urge to flip him off due to Sparx's presence, I follow Meldalvyna up stairs &amp; part ways with her at the top, going into my borrowed room &amp; getting into a comfier set of clothes.

Coming back out &amp; walking down the stairs, I see Meldalvyna already waiting for me on the couch, dressed in the clothes I had first met her in, the memory making me smile with the image of her current beauty. No sooner than I sit next to her, Spyro sticks his head out from around the corner he &amp; Cynder had dissappeared behind a while ago, the delicious smell of cooking food wafting from the kitchen, calling us in to pick up our plates. Following his kind order, we all stand from our seats &amp; walk into the kitchen, I staying next to Meldalvyna as we get our individual meals.

"_This looks interesting, we should ask what it is called_," Light says, noticing a side next to the yakow steak I couldn't identify by either name, scent, or ingredients. Starting with a bite from the steak, I look over the side some more, trying to figure out what it is made of, if I had seen it before, conversation buzzing around me. I can tell it's made of vegetables &amp; some form of meat, but I can't even begin to recognize the greens used, much less the dark brown chunks of meat burried in the nameless meal.

"**This must be the dragon cuisine Spyro had been talking about... it smells good, really good, kinda sweet**," Dark says, his tone making it obvious he wanted me to taste it as soon as possible. Suddenly, an image of Dark drooling over the smell comes to mind, the picture making me have to hold in a laugh, no one thankfully noticing my reaction.

"Jak, you haven't said a word since you sat down," Meldalyvna says, snapping me from my analysis of the side, a glimmer of concern in her eyes. Looking around, I notice everyone else watching me &amp; Meldalvyna, similar expressions on their faces.

"I was trying to figure out what this... um... side was," I say, motioning to the mysterious food on my plate with the knife I had used to cut the now half-eaten yakow steak. Meldalvyna grins &amp; takes her attention off of me &amp; sets it on her stepfather, nodding her head, trying to get him to explain the meal.

"It is a salad made of a variety of herbs &amp; vegetables collected from a territory known simply as Tall Plains, which is farmed by the native tribe called the Atlawa. The meat in the salad, however, belongs to a type of hog, raised in the Valley of Avalar by the Cheetahs," Spyro says, going into only slight detail about the food, the small explaination enough to satisfy my curiosity.

"What about the sauce on it? Is it also made where you come from, or is made here?" Carl asks, observing the salad far closely than I had, a bit of it on his fork, watching the slightly pink liquid drip down in a thin line, like a thin syrup.

"Oh, the dressing is made from the sweet smelling &amp; tasting juice of a fruit that is common where I spent my first ten years. The fruit it's made from is called the Sticky Juice, or less commonly the Forever Fruit," Spyro answers, a reminiscent smile on his face, no doubt thinking back on his early memories of the area he grew up in.

"I can see why it's called Sticky Juice, but why Forever Fruit?" Luke asks, his attention fully on the purple dragon, a curious furrow to his brow &amp; a slight tilt of his head.

"It's called the Forever Fruit because once it either falls or is picked from the tree it grows upon, it stays fresh &amp; ripe for exactly 6 months... but if it stays on the tree, &amp; isn't knocked or pulled off, it will rot there in a span of a week," Cynder replies just as Spyro is about to speak, a gentle grin spreading on her face as she watches Tess take a wary bite, only for the ottsellette's expression to be replaced by one of delight, the female ottsel hastily putting another bite of the salad in her mouth.

"_Interesting, a fruit that stays fresher longer after it's removed from the tree, no wonder it is called the Forever Fruit_," Light says, a tone of wonder to his voice as I look over the salad, a bite of it stuck around my fork, watching the thin, viscous pink liquid make its way down the leaves of the herbs &amp; chunks of meat.

"**Yeah sure, it also smells amazing, so can we take a bite of it before it drips off our damn fork?**" Dark says with an impatient snarl, noticing that I am letting the juice leak onto the apparently unworthy fork. Holding in a chuckle at his reaction, I put the bite of salad in my mouth &amp; let it sit there for a second, slowly chewing it, it's delicious mixture between sweet &amp; spicy teasing my mind with it's complexity in flavor. Everyone else follows suit after that, pleased smiles coming to all of our faces as we eat &amp; sip at the sweet/sour wine from Warfang. What seems like only minutes later, we all, one by one, finish our dinners &amp; leave our seats, bring our plates, glasses, &amp; utensils into the kitchen to be washed, Tess &amp; Daxter being the last ones to finish their meals.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal... do you think that we _**could**_ discuss some matters though?" Ashelin asks from her seat next to Torn, a small, greatful smile on her face at the beginning of her sentence, only for it to change to a serious expression. Torn's attention, which had been on a painting on the wall nearest the stairs, immediately snaps to Ashelin, an angry &amp; surprised 'we-promised-not-to-bring-up-business-here' look on his face.

"I don't see why not, as long as we don't settle on anything permanent or too official," Cynder says with a shrug, looking to Spyro for agreement, receiving an approving nod in return.

**Author's Note:** Again, I am _**SO**_ sorry that this chapter was so late! All of this week, I was mentally behind a day (especially Monday, I thought it wass still Sunday), &amp; Band didn't help at all, due to a football game I didn't get back from until 3 am... anyhow, I hope this chapter was entertaining enough for all of you, &amp; I hope you have a GREAT THANKSGIVING _if you celebrate it of course_! Also, next chapter should give everyone a hint as to what should be coming up soon, if you haven't caught it/ forgotten the hints I've dropped already! For now, tigerdj98 signing off!


	41. Simple Business

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone, &amp; sorry for being late again, classes are getting tense, due to upcoming exams! Before I even begin with the story, I need to give **one important message. ****I MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO POST A NEW CHAPTER BY CHRISTMAS, DUE TO MID-TERM EXAMS &amp; STUDYING FOR THESE EXAMS! So, please do not be upset to see a lack of a new chapter the Sunday after next!**** Trust me, it saddens me to have to tell you this as well, but it is only a warning of a POSSIBLE tardy chapter, not an ending of the fic.** With that out of the way, you will notice something VERY important is beginning in this chapter!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Thank you for the wonderful meal... do you think that we _**could**_ discuss some matters though?" Ashelin asks from her seat next to Torn, a small, greatful smile on her face at the beginning of her sentence, only for it to fade to a serious expression at the end. Torn's attention, which had been on a painting of Warfang's Dam near the stairs, immediately snaps to Ashelin, an astounded 'we-promised-not-to-bring-up-business-here' look on his face, a barely noticeable tinge of ire to his scent.

"I don't see why not, as long as we don't settle on anything permanent or too official," Cynder says with a nonchalant roll of her shoulders, glancing to Spyro for agreement, receiving an approving nod in return before giving her answer. A smile comes to Ashelin's face, an exhausted one appearing on Torn's face a second later, already dreading the non-official meeting &amp; possible government-related topics of peace between the major powers in the room &amp; how to get officials from both parties to meet up. Glancing to my side, I see an all-business expression on Jak's face, his eyes hard &amp; calculating, his form relaxed, but his muscles &amp; scent tense.

"_Is he an official in Haven's government too_," I ask myself mentally, looking him up &amp; down with an eyebrow-ridge raised, "_he doesn't look like it if he is... I'll have to ask him later... forget that for now, you're an official me, pay attention to the conversation at hand_."

"Great, since we are only guests, what do you suggest we start with?" Ashelin questions, leaning back a little into her seat, obviously experienced &amp; comfortable in possibly long conferences. My mother &amp; stepfather look between themselves, Spyro shrugging, leaving the direction of the conversation up to Cynder.

"Hmmm... I suppose we could start with the problem that my daughter &amp; Jak are having in the city with the media at the moment... not that you are any burden, Jak. You are welcome to visit anytime for as long as you please," she says, sending a grinning glance towards Jak, showing she meant know ill-will &amp; her sincerity. The entire conversation pauses as Jak blinks a few times, his confused &amp; surprised scent making it obvious that her smile threw him off guard, a distracted, yet thankful smile stretching his lips a second later, coupled by a single appreciative nod.

"_I wonder what he's thinking right now... &amp; what his Eco alters are saying... his expression is so hard not to laugh_," I think to myself with a small smirk, trying my best not to giggle at the confused, greatful, possibly embarassed, &amp; thoughtful face Jak is making. Noticing my grin, a single eyebrow on Jak's face raises, his attention now on me, which in turn drags everyone else's eyes on mine. Shaking my head, I wave their attention off, saying that it wasn't important why I'm making the face without uttering a word. Turning their attention back to the conversation, we all put our gazes to Ashelin &amp; Torn, awaiting any form of response to the posed suggestion made by my mother.

"Oh, right... I don't know how to make the public accept &amp; leave the subject alone, but what I do know is that the Freedom League has already resolved any possible disposition with Meldalvyna &amp; Jak... not that most of them know of their relationship, but I doubt that it will stay secret for long, considering the fact that they talked to each squadron together," Torn says with a small lift of his shoulders, my parents nodding in thought at the information, their processing almost visible in their eyes.

"Maybe a public presentation, in which we introduce Meldalvyna, Cynder, &amp; I, answer any questions or rumors, &amp; tell of the past 25 years of peace in the Dragon territories... but that would require knowledge of this happening for the officials in Warfang &amp; surrounding cities &amp; territories," Spyro suggests, his thoughts earning agreeing nods from Torn &amp; Ashelin &amp; thoughtful expressions when my stepfather reminds them of the problems with the idea.

"That would probably work the best, having you each present yourselves individually, &amp; if possible, introduce other officials from Warfang &amp; it's surrounding areas... is there a way to contact them?" Ashelin asks, her lip having been in a calculating curl since Spyro presented now in a hopeful, barely visible grin.

"Hunter is usually the one that keeps us informed of the various happenings on the opposite side of the UniPortal, but he left earlier this morning, &amp; only visits usually around once a month," Cynder answers, stealing the words right out of Spyro's mouth, his jaw still comically hanging open before soundly snapping shut with an audible clack.

"Wait, what is the UniPortal?" Carl asks, the first one out of the pair of pilots to speak, Luke nodding in agreement, the want to have the same question answered written upon his face. My stepfather &amp; mother look between themselves, trying to determine who should answer the question so they don't steal each other's.

"The UniPortal is the single spot where the two halves of the original huge planet is still connected through dragon magic of the Father of Dragons, which is the dragon who separated the humans &amp; dragons sides of the planet by creating two out of the once large one," Jak explains, his answer earning a surprised jump from my parents &amp; everyone else in the room except from Daxter &amp; me.

"You know of the UniPortal?" Spyro asks, his lavendar face full of astonishment, his horned head tilted slightly to the side, a single brow-ridge raised in pure curiosity.

"Yeah, Meldalvyna told me before we started going out... a few days or so before we started dating," Jak answers steadily, glancing at me from his peripheral, a small, barely noticeable grin stretching one half of his lips. My stepfather nods, a small hum rumbling from his throat in thought.

"Thank you Jak for the explanation of what the UniPortal is... anyhow, do you think you could somehow contact Hunter?" Torn asks, leaning forward so his elbows can rest on his knees, a flat expression on his face, his head tilted just barely to the side.

"No, not since he left... unless one of us were to leave right now &amp; fly nonstop until we caught up with him, then bring him back," I answer before either of my parents can, finally feeling like I should contribute to the conversation &amp; following through with the feeling. Ashelin &amp; Torn nod, small, similar frowns on each of their faces, mental battles evident in their thoughtful expressions.

"Well, then I guess that leaves out that suggestion... what else could be a sensible option?" Cynder asks, looking between Torn &amp; Ashelin, glancing at Jak every once in a while, her expression &amp; scent telling me she is wondering if Jak has any position in Haven City's government as well. The room goes quiet as the souls in the room descend into thought.

"I don't know how well this might sit with you two, but maybe we could have Jak come out &amp; say that he IS infact dating Meldalvyna, &amp; have THEM do a physical appearance in a city meeting... it doesn't really require officials, &amp; might get the media off of them for a little while, after a larger surge of questions of course," Ashelin suggests, breaking the silence, looking between my mother &amp; stepfather, glancing at Jak &amp; I as she speaks.

"_What is she thinking?! That could end up with people absolutely HATING US!_" I mentally panic, trying to keep a neutral expression &amp; most likely unknowingly failing miserably at it.

"And what if adverse reactions were to come about... such as the public not accepting them as a couple?" Sparx asks, making everyone jump with his sudden question, us all having forgotten he was even in the room.

"That's the thing I'm worried about... but, the people didn't exactly _**like**_ me being the Governess at first. It took me rebuilding the city &amp; creating jobs for the people who needed them to be accepted... we could do something like that... Meldalvyna, how do you feel about meeting children &amp; reading to them?" Ashelin asks, looking to me, a smile on her face &amp; a hopeful tinge to her scent.

"I guess I could do that... I'm not too great at reading the Precursarian letters... maybe if I told them children's stories from Warfang from when I was little... &amp; maybe sing for them too, get the children &amp; their parents to like me," I answer, suggesting other things I could do. Ashelin &amp; Torn look at eachother, a look of happy consideration shared between them. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jak &amp; Daxter giving me curious looks, though Jak's is far more interested than Daxter's.

"What?" I ask the duo of friends, surprising them with my sudden question, each one looking like children who had been caught stealing cookies from a jar only minutes before dinner.

"Didn't really see you as the 'singing' type is all... I've never heard you sing," Jak answers, Daxter nodding in silent agreement to Jak's explanation. Clearing her throat, Ashelin brings the attention back to the earlier conversation.

"That sounds like a great idea Meldalvyna, we may just try that. What kind of stories &amp; songs would you tell &amp; sing to them... more specific than childrens' tunes &amp; stories I mean?" Torn asks, a curious half-smile on his face.

"Well, for stories, they'll be about things like a young dragon learning it's elements or learning to fly when it's wings are hurt... &amp; for songs, it'd be melodies, or little cute ones, ones about being yourself or being brave, those kind," I answer, trying to be more 'specific' like he had asked, not that I wasn't clear &amp; specific enough. Torn &amp; Ashelin nod, their liking of the idea written on their faces. Looking to my parents, I gain an encouraging smile from both of them, especially Cynder, the scent of pride wafting from her.

"It appears that that's settled... you &amp; Ashelin can get Mel &amp; Jak to announce that they are infact dating, &amp; then arrange a meeting with some daycares &amp; orphanages for Meldalvyna to read &amp; sing at," Sparx says, shrugging his shoulders from his little bench. A sudden knocking from the door cuts through the air, halting any possible coming conversation.

**Jak's POV**

"_That will be a great way to get a good image for Meldalvyna, singing &amp; telling stories to children_," Light says with a smile in his voice. I can't help but smile at his statement, though I am dreading having to tell the ENTIRE CITY that I'm dating someone.

"** I wonder what her singing voice is... I bet it's beautiful, if her normal voice is anything to go off of**," Dark says, his tone thoughtful &amp; curious, &amp; actually pure for once.

"It appears that that's settled... you &amp; Ashelin can get Mel &amp; Jak to announce that they are infact dating, &amp; then arrange a meeting with some daycares &amp; orphanages for Meldalvyna to read &amp; sing at," Sparx shrugs in his small seat, glancing between all the occupants of the room, his voice bringing me out of my mind &amp; back into the physical domain.

A loud rasping on the door silences any coming talking, everyone looking in the direction of the door with tense expressions. I involuntarily begin to sniff the air, Dark trying to catch any scent that isn't already in the room. Glancing around to see Meldalvyna &amp; her parents doing the same thing, I notice that my vision is beginning to sharpen &amp; my hearing becoming keener, Dark lending his heightened senses to me. Suddenly, Cynder stands &amp; stalks towards the door, every single step silent as she approaches the door, stopping infront of the door, the room silent. Glancing toward Meldalvyna, I can't help but do a retake as I notice her pupils are thin slits, like her parents', instead of their normal round.

"_So that's the face she makes if she were to hunt_..." Light says offhandedly, his voice barely audible in the back of my mind, like his voice could be heard by everyone else but me.

"**Looks kinda scary, but I honestly think it's pretty cool, we should watch her eyes more often**," Dark says, also noticing Meldalvyna's slitted pupils. I have to stop myself from nodding in agreement, switching my attention between Meldalvyna's eyes &amp; Cynder's tail, the only visible part of her left that I can see from where I am seated, her tail visibly tense, flicking with cautious stiffness.

"Oh, it is okay," Cynder says with relief in her voice, the sound of the door opening a second later signifying a friendly at the door, "Hunter, what are you doing back so early? It is nice to see you too, Cole."

"Cole?" Meldalvyna &amp; Spyro ask at the same time, Meldalvyna getting up &amp; rushing to the door next to her mother, while Spyro just stands in his place, a small, barely noticeable (by normal standards) frown on his face. All the guests look between themselves, happier ones on Ashelin's &amp; Torn's faces, though they were all still curious in expression. A second later, Meldalvyna squeals in excitement &amp; I barely catch the sound of a male voice saying 'hi' back.

"I realized I had left the scroll you had given me for Terrador &amp; Volteer on my bed at about high noon, my apologies," Hunter answers Cynder as she &amp; the Cheetah round the small entrance hall. Everyone's eyes, beside my own &amp; anyone who already knows the bipedal feline, go wide with surprise at Hunter's appearance. Hunter looks into the din, his golden eyes panning the room before giving everyone a happy, gentle smile &amp; finding a seat to the left of us, sitting in the area between us &amp; the two pilots. A second later, Meldalvyna walks around the corner, a happy &amp; excited smile on her face &amp; a bounce in her step, beckoning the final person to come around the corner.

"Everyone, this is one of my childhood friends, Cole," Meldalvyna says just as the person being spoken of front half rounds the corner, motioning to him. I immediately feel the deep punch of competition &amp; dislike shudder through my body as I catch sight of the new black dragon. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice as Cynder takes her seat to the right of Spyro, the look on her face making it obvious that she had noticed Spyro's sour expression.

Looking him over once, I take in as much as I can, feeling a frown beginning to form on my face. As Cole looks around the room, his bright, Midnight-blue, almost black eyes land on me for a second before going to Spyro, a tinge of fear &amp; something else glances across his eyes. Tearing his eyes from Meldalvyna's stepfather, he looks back towards us &amp; starts walking towards us, keeping his eyes on me, an unreadable emotion in them. As he walks, the torch light gleaming on his black scales revealing barely visible blue stripes on his body, all of them leading to his dark gray underbelly, the only thing breaking the midnight stripes being dull grey armor on his lower legs &amp; tops of his paws. As he comes closer, I notice his larger front two horns are like Spyro's, &amp; his back smaller two rear horns are spiraled, reminding me of yakows in the way they twist. Entering the ring of pillows, Cole turns towards Spyro &amp; lowers his head until the end of his snout is only a little more than a centimeter away from the ground.

"_I know it is too early to judge, but I feel we may have competition for Meldalvyna's affections with this one_," Light says, a growl in his voice surprising me, &amp; I have to restrain myself from both jumping to my peaceful alter's sudden dislike &amp; from nodding my head in agreement.

"Spyro Jonathan, your majesty, it is good to see you, &amp; what a lovely home may I add," Cole greets the purple dragon while raising his head, a strange grin on his face that quickly disappears a second later, never looking into his eyes. Spyro's earlier frown changes to an obviously forced smile, his eyes hard.

"**It appears we aren't the only one who doesn't like this one... who knew Spyro COULD dislike someone... reminds me of when we first met Cynder, she was making that same kind of face**," Dark says with a grim chuckle, I almost being able to picture a murderous smile ripping through his face from his tone.

"Cole Erebus, _**what a **__**pleasure**_ to see you too... what brings you onto THIS side of the UniPortal?" Spyro asks, trying &amp; failing miserably to hide his now obvious dislike for the young male black dragon, the very edges of his lips curving downward. Another grin spreads across Cole's face, much like the first one, only this one stays on his features &amp; showing his teeth, the smirk almost insane in the feeling I get when looking at it, making many dark prison memories surface in my mind.

"I don't blame him, he kinda reminds me of Errol, the way he smiles... why would Meldalvyna like someone like him?" I mentally ask , both myself &amp; my Eco alters, watching in slow motion as Cole's smile almost endlessly widens, having to stop myself from grimacing.

"Oh, I became Hunter's apprentice as the Royal Messenger, I've helped make many of his trips faster by ten-fold... I decided to come through to see what... uh... ah, Haven City, is like, &amp; to meet the lucky guy who's dating your daughter &amp; congratulate him," Cole answers, his once wide smile falling to a simple, slightly less crazy-appearing grin. Spyro's eyes only go to thoughtful, untrusting slits at Cole's explanation, his only reply being a single hum &amp; a nod. Taking the wordless reply, Cole turns away from the purple dragon &amp; looks behind him towards Meldalvyna, who is still standing at the doorway, a happy smile still on her face.

"You coming Melly, or are you just gonna stand there?" Cole asks her, an amused tone to his voice. Meldalvyna jumps a little before rushing over &amp; sitting back down in her seat next to me, motioning Cole over.A suave smile stretches across the other black dragon's face as he saunters over &amp; sits down to Meldalvyna's opposite side, sitting between her &amp; Cynder, a smile on her face.

"So, you must be Jak. You know, you are probably the luckiest male in the room considerring who you're... ah, what's the word that Hunter used... dating my best buddy since childhood Melly over here. I heard a lot about you from Hunter on the way here," Cole says after a second of awkward silence in the room, sticking his head out around Meldalvyna to look at me.

"You have, have you? I bet he didn't tell you everything that he could about me, of course... so, what's Warfang like?" I ask, trying my best to not be sarcastic by giving a pleasant tone, attempting to hide the forming grimace on my face by forcing a smile, staring the newcomer in the eye, distracting myself with the question, hoping he will take the bait. I feel Dark trying to get me to let him give off a spark of Eco, &amp; push the urge to give him the okay down.

"Jak, buddy, you don't need to worry about me being here, I'm not going to try to snag her, I've gotten over that heartache a WHILE ago... when she told me no... since then, we've only been friends," Cole says, a reassuring, almost sad look to his eyes, a small, gentle smile on his face. Humming my reply, I give a single nod before looking to Ashelin, Torn, Spyro, &amp; Cynder, nodding my head towards the present Hunter.

"Oh, right... Hunter, we were just discussing about how to resolve the 'media' problem that Jak &amp; Meldalvyna have at the moment. We brought up the possibility of having the officials of Warfang &amp; surrounding territories come here to Haven City to present our home as a peaceful place, to build much needed trust between our governments, &amp; the only way to do that is to have you give messages to them about the possible coming event, unless you see an easier way to accomplish this," Spyro says, looking to Hunter with a friendly smile, his earlier expression of dislike towards Cole evaporating off of his face. Hunter nods in thought, looking down to his knees, his eyes darting back &amp; forth with a hand on his chin.

"Would it be possible to bring the officials of Haven City &amp; its surrounding governments into Warfang... taking into accord the ammount of space needed for everyone?" Hunter asks, looking between the rulers of Warfang &amp; the Governess &amp; Cheif of Arms of Haven City. Ashelin &amp; Torn look between each other before returning their gaze back to Hunter, Spyro, &amp; Cynder.

"If we knew we could even get through the UniPortal, &amp; if our zoomers &amp; air-trans opperated on your side, to make navigation easier on the wingless' terms of course," Luke says, making everyone jump with his sudden statement, everyone having forgotten his attendance.

"Jak, Carl, Luke &amp; I could test that... we have a transport zoomer sitting right outside," Torn suggests, everyone nodding, the a realizing expression crossing Cole's face a second later.

"So that's what that thing is! I understand what's going on now," Cole laughs a second later, a small, understanding nod followed by a smile, "I didn't think that thing can fly!"

"Yes, it can fly... but we should probably start off with something smaller though, just to make sure... but other than that, it appears to be settled... maybe we could do that in coordination with the earlier set plan... the only thing we'd have left to count on is both sides agreeing to the idea," Carl says, a hopeful smile on his face. Everyone in the room smiles along with him, all approving of his idea to combine the two events. All except Cole, a newly confused expression on his face.

**Author's Note:** So, that's that for chapter 41, &amp; I hope you guys liked the newest character I introduced! Sorry for being late to get in a chapter yet again, these past few months have been pretty hectic... anyhow, hope to see your input, &amp; until next chapter, tigerdj98 signing out!


	42. Beginnings of a Plan in Action

**Author's Note:** Hello everybody, &amp; welcome to chapter 42! You know what, I'm not apologizing for this chapter being a day late, because of one reason, &amp; you'll read it in the chapter, unless it's the next day where you're at! Other than that, merry late Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, whichever you celebrate!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Looking around, a smile still on the positive effect of Carl's suggestion to combine the ideas of having me tell stories &amp; sing to the children of Haven City &amp; present my parents along with myself &amp; Jak to announce our relationship to the City, I notice a confused expression on Cole's face. About to stand to explain what the plan is, a decision-making look crosses the black male dragon's face &amp; I sit back down, waiting to see what he perked up for.

"Wait, what plan are were you all talking about before Hunter &amp; I came in?" Cole asks, looking around the room with the question in his eyes, asking anyone who would to answer his inquiry &amp; fill him in on this missing information. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice an annoyed frown flash across Jak's lips for the smallest portion of a second, the smell of anger &amp; distrust in his scent coming &amp; going just as fast.

"_Why would Jak not like Cole? He hasn't even gotten to know him yet... maybe it's like when I was doubtful about whether or not I liked Keira before I got to know her_," I think to myself, observing Jak's expression for further change as the other knowing occupants of the room look between themselves in silence, trying to determine who should tell Cole.

"_What is everyone's problem? Why do they all look like they don't trust Cole? The only other person who looks like they trust him is my mother &amp; Hunter_," I ask myself mentally, the question ringing through my mind as I notice even more mistrusting expressions in the room, the knowing souls in the room still not uttering a word.

"Well, Mr. Erebus, Meldalvyna has been discovered in the city by the media, which she &amp; her family haven't been until now, &amp; Jak has been having to stay here at night for the past two days because of it. The discussion you &amp; Mr. Hunter have walked into is our plan on how to solve this problem, &amp; somehow make it an all-over peaceful event, or events as it may end up being," Ashelin answers, finally breaking the silence, her arms crossed in her lap with an expression on her face that clearly stated she isn't comfortable telling him about the plan, nor was she comfortable in even looking at him as an understanding grin came to his face, a single nod being the signal that he understood.

"_Wait, Jak's scent... it just spiked again... why... does it have to do with Cole's grin_?" I thought to myself as I catch the smell of dislike &amp; distrust rise in Jak's scent, watching as his face goes into a full blown frown for half a second before going back into the earlier straight expression.

"Okay, I got that... but what are the two parts of the plan then? I'm only asking because they sound like they might end up including Hunter &amp; me later on," Cole says, a nervous smile crossing his features, just now realizing the scrutinizing scents in the air &amp; untrustworthy expressions being directed at him.

"The first part of the plan does, infact, require you're &amp; Hunter's aid. We were planning on having my mother, stepfather, Jak, &amp; I present ourselves infront of the citizens of Haven &amp; give a speach on why to trust us, but that requires the knowledge of the other officials of Warfang, Avalar, et cetera, as well as the many other officials of Haven City &amp; other cities here," I answer, not wanting Cole to have to wait in awkward silence as long as he did last time he asked a question. Cole nods in understanding, sending a thankful smile my way, happy that his childhood friend is supporting him.

Glancing over to Jak, I see his brows are furrowed in confusion &amp; scrutinizing curiosity, like he is questioning my ability to be friends with Cole. I give him a small, almost invisible glare, sending the message that I was going to consider him a friend whether he liked it or not, earning an even further confused expression on Jak's face.

"Okay, I understand why we're needed for the first part... what's the second part then?" Cole asks, looking between me &amp; everyone else in the room, a hopeful expression on his face, his features drawn into one begging for acceptance.

"That's where Jak &amp; I are actually dating, &amp; then have Torn &amp; Ashelin arrange for me to tell childrens' stories from Warfang &amp; sing some songs to children to try to build further trust within the city," I answer, a smile coming to Cole's face a second later, his expression making it obvious a thought had crossed his mind.

"You plan on singing any duets?" he asks a second later, a sliver of his teeth showing in his grin, his smile purely curious, though there is the tinge of a purpose behind the question in his tone. I raise a brow ridge at him, questioning him silently if he meant with him, earning an amused laugh &amp; shake of his head.

"I'm not suggesting with me, Melly, I'm asking if you'd do one with Jak," Cole snickers, knowing the meaning of the look I was giving him. The second after he speaks, he bursts out laughing, nearly falling on the floor. Confused, I glance at Jak to see a pale, almost scared expression on his face, the scent of embarassment coming strongly from him.

"I do NOT sing, I CAN'T sing," Jak says defensively while glaring at Cole's laughing form, everyone else noticing &amp; grinning at his embarassed expression, Daxter going as far as sniggering at his friend's sticky situation.

"It can't be that bad... has anyone taught you proper technique?" Spyro asks, a gentle &amp; completely serious smile on his face. Jak's face pales even further as he gives my stepfather a look that clearly read an exasperated 'are-you-kidding-me'. Spyro's eyebrow-ridges just rise in confusion to Jak's reaction, not knowing why he's reacting like he is.

"No... no one has taught me... can't you hear the damage to my vocal cords in my voice?" Jak asks, his expression disbelieving as he motions a hand towards his throat, an eyebrow raised. A look of realization flashes across my stepfather's face as Jak leaves his hand directing at his throat, an understanding nod sent at Jak a second later.

"Wait, how did you're... uh... vocal cords get damaged?" Cole asks, bringing Jak's attention back to him, Cole's face drawn in one of curiosity &amp; confusion. I can't help but feel an edge of defensiveness for Jak as I see not only him tense, but all the other humans in the room, along with my mother.

"That's a bit too personal to ask about Cole when you barely know him yet... Hunter, you said you left the scroll on your bed?" I ask the bipedal cheetah, trying to bring the subject away from Jak &amp; back to the task at hand.

"Ah, yes, I shall go retrieve it... so Spyro &amp; Cynder can put what is happening &amp; what needs to be done on it," Hunter says while standing, waiting for an agreeing nod from my parents before rushing off up the stairs to the room he &amp; Jak had shared. A few seconds later, Hunter reappears at the bottom of the steps &amp; walks calmly up to Spyro &amp; hands him the rather large scroll.

"Spyro &amp; I shall add the extra information later to the scroll, for now, we may continue this get-together, &amp; afterwards, you two are free to stay the night to gather your energy for tomorrow, you will both need it," Cynder says, taking the scroll from her husband &amp; setting down next to her, keeping her paw over it. Hunter &amp; Cole nodding, the Cheetah turns &amp; rests in his earlier seat. An awkward silence fills the room as everyone realizes we have nothing left to talk about, the occupants glancing around the room at each other.

"Hey Meldalvyna, I know your birthday is later this month, but I never caught the date... what _**day**_ is your birthday?" Tess asks, finally breaking the silence with her slightly sheepish question, Daxter nodding in agreement, an expression of friendly curiosity on their furry little faces.

"My birthday is December twentyeighth, why do you ask?" I question, pleased to have him ask, but yet still curious as to why they wanted to know. The two ottsels glance between each other, a smile on each of their faces.

"Well, if it's alright with your parents, we were going ta throw ya a big birthday bash down at tha Naughty Ottsel, I already talked ta Jak about it, just last night" Daxter replies excitedly with a large smile on his face, his orange &amp; yellow fur almost seeming to sparkle as much as his eyes are in happiness. Glancing over to Jak, I can't help the sad smile that comes to my face.

"Dax, Jak, I'm sorry, but I don't know if that'd be a good idea... my family &amp; I will be leaving the day after- really early in the morning, far before the sun can rise in Haven &amp; reach street level- to go to Warfang, like we do every year," I say, casting my eyes downward in my sad revelation. Glancing up in the silence, I notice a considerring, silent conversation of glances &amp; head movements held between my parents. Looking to my side, I realize that everyone else in the room is watching my parents as well, waiting for a worded conclusion from the two.

"Well, if you like Meldalvyna, we could leave a message in the scroll to say we'd be later than normal... or we could bring Jak along on our trip if it's okay with the two of you," Spyro says, a gentle, yet knowing smile on his face, watching mine as I uncontrollably squeel in delight &amp; rush to hug him &amp; my mother, then turning to hug &amp; kiss Jak on his cheeks &amp; forehead in my excitement.

**Jak's POV**

"Well, if you like Meldalvyna, we could leave a message in the scroll to say we'd be later than normal... or we could bring Jak along on our trip if it's okay with the two of you," Spyro says, a kind, happy smile on his face, watching Meldalvyna as she jumps up squeeling in excitement, running over to give her parents hugs before rushing back over to me, grabbing my face with both hands &amp; ramming her lips onto my cheeks &amp; forehead, sitting down a second later with a huge smile on her face. Wrapping a hand around mine, she turns back towards her parents, the large grin still plastered on her face.

"**Well, that was pleasant**," Dark says with a deep chuckle, clearly enjoying the show of affection, a dirty grin evident in his voice.

"_It was... nice... but aren't we forgetting something? If the zoomers don't work on the Warfang side of the UniPortal, I'm not a strong enough flyer to keep up with Meldalvyna &amp; her family_," Light says, reminding me of the plausible problem that could very much end up being a rather large problem.

"Are you sure I wouldn't be a burden? I mean I'd do anything to go, but if the zoomers don't work... Light's not that great or strong a flyer, &amp; he definitely can't fly for very long, not to mention he can only stay out for short periods of time," I say, giving Meldalvyna's hand a reassuring squeeze as I voice my concerns with the idea.

"Of course you wouldn't be a burden. If the zoomers end up not working, Spyro or I could carry you if push comes to shove... either way, you'll be able to come," Cynder says, a smile spreading on her face, her shoulders seeming to relax further &amp; further downward as she speaks.

"Meldalvyna's birthday is in almost three weeks, that gives us time to bring up our plan with the officials in Warfang &amp; surrounding areas, carry out our plans, &amp; try out the zoomer on the opposite side of the UniPortal... maybe we can make THAT trip the one where the governments on this side travel to Warfang," Torn suggests, earning nods from everyone in the room.

"How long would it take to spread the news of our plan around on the dragon side of the UniPortal &amp; come back with their decisions?" Ashelin asks, sitting up straight, her thoughts &amp; previous experience in conferences evident in her posture.

"If we travel as fast as we could go with minimal breaks, we could visit all known civilizations &amp; return from there a few days more than a week. But if we were to go at our normal pace, it would take us about a week &amp; a half to return," Cole answers just as Hunter opens his mouth to give his version of the same answer.

"Yes, if we were to leave tomorrow morning before the sun can rise, &amp; travel as fast as possible, we would be back within approximately nine days, at nightfall, giving you a week &amp; five days to carry out the rest of the plan," Hunter adds, giving Cole a sidelong glance as he speaks. Everyone glances between each other, save Cole, who was staring at one of the paintings on the wall, a reminiscent smile on his face.

"_It is a painting of a young Meldalvyna, she is with a few others. I believe I see Cole in it, towards the back of the group in the picture_," Light says as I try to figure out what the painting was of, realizing what the image depicted as soon as Light spoke.

"**If that's Meldalvyna &amp; Cole, then who are the others... I bet they're her friends, we should ask Mel who they are later after everyone else leaves**," Dark says, now also directing his attention to the painting.

"That's probably the first good idea you've had all day," I say to Dark mentally with a silent, inward laugh, earning an annoyed growl from my Dark Eco alter.

"Jak... Jak?!" Meldalvyna whispers hoarsely in my ear, nearly making me jump with her attempts to get my attention. Looking at her with the gentle question 'what' in my expression, Meldalvyna just shakes her head, immediately knowing what had been going on in my head, motioning in Torn's direction a second later.

"What were you saying Torn?" I ask, a sheepish grin on my face, trying to apologize without having to say anything.

"I was asking if you'd want to help me, &amp; our pilots here out at the UniPortal tomorrow with the zoomer," Torn says, a straight expression of obvious annoyance on his face &amp; in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll help with that. It WAS part of the original plan, &amp; I was alright with it then," I say with a smirk, leaning against the back of the loveseat &amp; relaxing, guaging that I hadn't missed much of the conversation while I was talking with my Eco alters.

"Then it's settled, Carl will bring the one-seater here while Luke brings Torn, Jak, &amp; Meldalvyna with their copies of the scroll &amp; make their way here. After that, we'll give Hunter &amp; Cole the scrolls to give the officials, &amp; they'll head out, while showing the 'zoomer team' the way to the UniPortal. Once they test out the zoomer's ability to fly there, they'll come back &amp; we go with our normal personal activities until Hunter &amp; Cole come back," Cynder says, looking at everyone in the room, a serious expression in her eyes, everyone else sharing her expression except me.

"Dammit, we missed a LOT," I think to myself, mentally kicking myself for not paying attention to the conversation.

"Right. Once they get back, Torn &amp; I will bring it up with the Council, &amp; message the other cities' governments about your presentations as well as introductions, &amp; tell them about what time your governments will show up. Once they come into Haven City, we'll do the first part of our original plan, &amp; then have peace talks in the ballroom of the Palace," Ashelin adds, looking between Torn, &amp; Meldalvyna's stepfather &amp; mother.

"**A lot? A LOT? We missed a fuck-ton, damn it!**" Dark yells in the back of my mind, his reaction nearly making me let off a spark of Dark Eco with the furiosity in his actions.

"Once those are over with, if the zoomers work on the Warfang side of the UniPortal like we're hoping, we'll have the officials of the cities here go over to Warfang with the officials from your side &amp; finish off the peace talks &amp; hopefully get things signed &amp; settled. After that, we'll be partners agian since the time of the Father of Dragons," Spyro says, a serious, yet happy expression on his face, everyone else smiling &amp; nodding at the plan, no one questioning about the Father of Dragons.

"_It appears we most definitely missed a good portion of the conversation... we should ask Meldalvyna later what happened while we were conversing_," Light suggests, &amp; I have to keep myself from nodding in agreement with his statement.

"I think we should party after that... have one huge one in Warfang so Meldalvyna can show Jak around &amp; introduce us to some of her friends, get to know some of the high-ups better, then have a secondary party here in Haven City... &amp; it wouldn't have to be in the Palace, it could be out in the streets, a city wide PAR-TAY!" Daxter shouts happily, a smile on his face as he pumps his fist into the air with each exaggerated syllable of 'party'. Everyone else, even Cynder, nod with wide, agreeing smiles on their faces, while I watch in confusion, forcing a smile on my face.

"And maybe we can hold a part of the annual Warfang games for part of the celebration!" Meldalvyna laughs her suggestion, excited with the possibilities. Spyro &amp; Cynder nod in agreement, both of them obviously liking the idea as well.

"I'm sure Keira wouldn't mind arranging a zoomer race, &amp; getting the governer of Kras arranging a race there!" Tess adds enthusiastically, standing in her enthusiasm, her smile beaming, similar to Meldalvyna's expression.

"I guess we've got everything settled then. But honestly, I think we should call this meeting to an end, Luke &amp; I've got to return the air-tran back to the lot soon," Carl says, an upset &amp; serious look on his face, not wanting to leave by the look on his face &amp; by the sound of his tone of voice.

"Oh, okay... so, it's settled then, right?" Sparx asks, again almost making me jump, his silence during the entire conversation making me forget that he was in the room.

"Yep... see you &amp; Meldalvyna tomorrow Jak," Torn says while standing, Ashelin standing with him. Nodding in reply, I fake knowing what time I had to be at work. Everyone leaving says their goodbyes, while Hunter heads upstairs &amp; Cole heads down the hall where Spyro &amp; Cynder's room is.

"Well, we should probably be getting to bed ourselves... big day tomorrow, am I right?" Meldalvyna says with an annoyed chuckle as we head up the stairs ourselves, turning back to me with a smile on her face.

"Yeah... uh, about that... when you got my attention earlier... the last thing I remember hearing in the conversation was Hunter's explanation of how long it'd take for them to get back, &amp; how he said it'd be by nightfall," I say sheepishly once we're at the top of the stairwell, Meldalvyna stopping dead in her tracks &amp; spinning to look me in the eye.

"Are you kidding me? Did you seriously miss out on THAT MUCH of the conversation?!" she practically yells, her sudden loudness &amp; angry surprise making me jump.

"Yeah... could ya... could you fill me in on what I missed?" I ask nervously, tilting my head down &amp; looking up at her through my eyebrows, yet another sheepish smile on my face, asking forgiveness without speaking it. Meldalvyna sighs before motioning for me to follow her. Leading me into her room, she shoves me past her door frame before slamming the door behind her, the lights immediately coming on when she opens the door.

"Sit down &amp; PAY ATTENTION, I'm not repeating myself," Meldalvyna says as she pushes me to her matress, an annoyed expression on her face as I repeat my apologies outloud multiple times. Sitting down quickly, I look around the room as Meldalvyna comes &amp; sits at the head of her bed, taking in as much as I can. Looking in one of the corners of her room, I notice an eisel covered with a cloth, the smallest peek of paint visible underneath one of the corners of the canvass's cover. Bringing my attention back to Meldalvyna, I notice an even further annoyed expression on her face, she obviously wanting to get the fill-in over with.

**Author's Note:** So, there's chapter 42! As you can see, I waited until today to post this chapter because it contains the date of Meldalvyna's b-day, which so happens to be today! I hope all you readers enjoyed it, &amp; I also hope that you guys are noticing where I'm taking the story! If you've noticed anything wrong in the latest chapters, or have seen any unclear points, don't be afraid to tell me, &amp; please feel free to speak up. Well, until next chapter, tigerdj98 signing off!


	43. A Second Motion of Action

**Author's Note: ** Hello all &amp; welcome to chapter 43 of "Of Two Worlds"! I hope you guys enjoyed the special date last chapter, &amp; I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! That's all I really wanted to say this time, so without further delay, the appropraite ownerships, &amp; then the story!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Sit down &amp; PAY ATTENTION, I'm not repeating myself," I say as I push Jak towards my mattress so I can tell him about what he had missed while he hadn't been paying attention, failing at keeping the annoyed expression on my face as Jak apologizes repeatedly. As soon as he sits down, he begins looking around my room, already not paying any more attention than he had earlier.

"_He wants me to tell him what he missed, yet he's still hasn't even looked at me since he got in here_," I think to myself as I sit down at the head of my bed,waiting for Jak to bring his attention to me, annoyed with Jak's current fascination with the objects in my room, his eyes currently locked on my eisel. Jak finally looks back in my direction almost an entire minute later, &amp; I can't help but let an agitated frown reach my lips, the expression immediately gaining Jak's full attention.

"So, tomorrow morning we only have a half day of work because Luke will drop us off at the Freedom League, but Torn arranged us to translate the part of the scroll describing our plans for future peace. Once we finish translating that part of the scroll, we'll hand it off to Torn to make copies for each city official that will be attending a meeting on a later date to introduce me as an ambassador for the peoples on the Warfang side of the UniPortal. While that's happening, Carl will go get a one-seater zoomer from Keira &amp; transport it here with Luke's help once he drops us off," I begin, taking my time &amp; trying not to rush through my explanation, making sure Jak is paying attention to all of what I had to say.

"Okay, so that's the first step of the plan," Jak says with understanding, his eyes darting around my face in thought, his expression making it clear that he is beginning to connect the dots in his mind. Nodding in agreement, Jak gives a single nod in return with a happy smile, silently motioning me to continue with my explanation of the plan.

"Once all of our work at the Freedom League HQ is done &amp; Carl has the zoomer, we'll all head back here, where Hunter &amp; Cole will be waiting with their copies of the scroll to give to the cities on the Warfang side of the UniPortal. We'll then regroup with Hunter &amp; Cole, making the 'zoomer team'. Hunter, Cole, &amp; I will then show you, Carl, Luke, &amp; Torn the way to the UniPortal, Carl mapping the route, Luke driving the zoomer, &amp; you &amp; Torn making sure no MetalHeads try to attack," I continue, Jak nodding in understanding the entire time I speak.

"So that's step two, right?" Jak asks, his head subconciously tilting to the right a little in curiosity.

"Nope, still step one," I reply with a shake of my head, a small frown forming on Jak's face as he realizes that he'll be in my room for a while &amp; having to sit through one long, boring explanation.

"Oh... just tell me when step one is up with," Jak says, shifting his position, trying to get a bit comfier in his seat on my mattress.

"Once we get to, &amp; go through, the UniPortal, Hunter &amp; Cole will part from our group to make their delivery of the scrolls, while we test the zoomer to see if it can fly or not in that environment. Once we figure that part out, we'll come back here &amp; tell my parents about the zoomer, as well as contact Ashelin to tell her about the same results. After that we wait for Hunter &amp; Cole to return with the results from Warfang's side... that's all of step one," I say, taking in a deep breath to try to relax a little bit &amp; loosen up my tense-from-being-annoyed muscles, stretching my wings, tail,&amp; multiple claws a little.

"_**Yay**_, part two," Jak says sarcastically, not at all trying to hide the fact that he was already tired of the conversation, an exaggerated look of horror on his face, quickly followed by a grim chuckle. I shake my head at him, an entertained smile on my face at his antics.

"Okay, so if the replies from Hunter &amp; Cole are positive, Torn &amp; Ashelin will send their copies of the scroll to the cities on this side of the UniPortal, as well as the Council, &amp; tell them what time each of the officials will be arriving. They will also tell the Council that you, my mother, stepfather, &amp; I will be presenting ourselves in a city-wide meeting that we had talked about BEFORE you had zoned out, &amp; then I will do my singing thing for the children. But, all of that happens only after the officials from the cities on the Warfang side come here. After that, we'll hold a conference to discuss a future peace plan... not exactly a treaty, since that usually requires a war first... in the Palace's ballroom," I say quickly, also beginning to get exhausted of telling Jak about the plan, trying even harder not to rush too quickly through it.

"I'm guessing tha-that's the first half of step two?" Jak asks as I pause to collect my thoughts for the rest of the information, trying to stifle a yawn halfway through his sentence.

"Actually, that's all of step two, all that's left for me to fill you in on is the last part," I answer with a happy smile, Jak's face pulling into an expression of relieved surprise.

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Let's hear it," Jak says with an encouraging smile &amp; tone, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his legs in mock excitement. I can't help laughing at his antics, shaking my head with my knowledge of his trying to get me to finish off our own small conference.

"The third &amp; final step hopefully will be pretty easy from there. After the conference in the Palace ballroom, we'll have this side's officials head over to Warfang for a second peace conference, but only if the zoomers work. Once those are done, the two sides of the UniPortal will finally be reunited," I finish of with a relieved sigh, falling onto my back, a smile on my face, happy to be finally finished with explaining the entire plan to Jak.

"Hey, maybe while we're testing out the zoomer, we could test out our comm.s while we're there. See if they still work," Jak suggests while lowering himself onto his back with me, looking me in the eyes from his relaxed position. Glancing down towards his legs, I realize his feet are on my bed as well. Kicking them off, I give him a small warning glare, telling him to keep his boots off the mattress &amp; blankets before saying anything.

"Yeah, we should probably do that. It'd make part of the transportation process of bringing this side's officials over to Warfang's side easier &amp; a bit more comfortable for the officials themselves, &amp; quite possibly any others that might be interested enough to go for the trip," I agree, adjusting my position so that I can look at Jak straight on without having to strain my neck or poke holes in my mattress with my horns. Jak simply nods, silently agreeing to my addition to his suggestion. After a second, Jak's attention slowly turns back to the eisel, his scent gradually flooding with the smell of curiosity.

"Hey Mel, can I ask you something?" Jak questions, peeling his gaze away from the eisel &amp; to me, a hopeful look to his eyes.

"Sure... what is it?" I ask, having a feeling that I know what he is about to ask me, sitting up into a half sitting, half laying position, holding myself up with an elbow.

"What is that a painting of underneath that cover?" Jak asks, his questioning answer confirming my premonition. Standing from my mattress, I walk over to the eisel &amp; set a hand on the cloth covering before turning back to Jak, he having pulled himself into a sitting position while I had my back to him.

"You... do you remember the night where you told me that you had drawn me the first day you met me, all because I wouldn't let you get out a camera?" I ask, my gaze shifting slowly back &amp; forth between Jak &amp; the painting on the eisel, trying to keep an embarassed blush from coming to my cheeks.

"Yeah, I remember that night... Wait, is that the drawing you did of me?" Jak asks, the expression of his revelation not only causing motion in his face, but throughout his entire form, his posture straightening with his question.

"No, that drawing is over there underneath those books. I had to put them there to make sure Sparx couldn't bring it to my parents. This... this is a painting I did of you the second day we met up in the forest," I reply shyly, feeling a slight heat course through my cheeks, now knowing that there is no way for me to hold back my blush now.

"Can I see them? I promise I'll show you the drawing I did of you sometime, you'll just have to remind me," Jak says, his tone hopeful &amp; gently pleading, his expression making it obvious that he really wants to see the painting &amp; drawing. Nodding, I take my hand off the cloth &amp; go to my desk, taking the books off of the drawing &amp; bringing the pencil sketch of the man in my room to him for him to observe. Jak's eyes flit over the drawing, darting between the details of the sketch, a small smile beginning to stretch across his lips.

"Wow Mel, these are great. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that this was a black &amp; white photo... I can't believe you did this after only seeing me once," Jak says, bringing his attention to me, his tone &amp; expression filled with awe. I can't help but smile sheepishly at his reaction to the drawing, feeling the blush on my face growing hotter.

"Well, we did stare at each other for at least an hour straight," I say shyly, dropping my gaze from Jak's face to look at my feet, rubbing the floor with one of my feet, dropping my wings &amp; tensing my tail.

"Can I see the painting, or do you want to wait?" Jak asks gently, his tone suggesting that he noticed my bashful actions &amp; didn't want to push me into more discomfort. Walking over to the eisel, I set my hand on the cloth cover &amp; grasp the fabric, taking a deep breath before pulling off the veil like a band-aid.

**Jak's POV**

"Can I see the painting, or do you want to wait?" I ask Meldalvyna softly as I watch her wings drop &amp; her tail twitch, not wanting to force her through any more discomfort than she wanted to. Without saying a word, Meldalvyna walks away from me &amp; to her easil. Setting her hand on the cloth, she grabs the cover of the painting, &amp; I can hear her take a deep breath before quickly pulling the veil off the painting.

"_Meldalvyna is truely an artist_," Light says with awe, just as amazed at our image on canvass as I am. Looking over the painting, it's as if I am looking at my identical twin, each detail to a point, as if I can just walk forward &amp; into the painting itself.

"**Damn, even the eyes look real... like it's a picture someone took of you with a really good camera**," Dark says, his tone as wonderstruck as Light &amp; I are. I have to restrain myself from nodding in agreement, the eyes of my painted self hard not to look at, feeling as if I were to look away or blink, the painted me would move, like we are having a staring contest.

"I wonder if this is what Meldalvyna felt when she first saw me... like I'd move if she looked away or blinked... I feel like I'm being hunted by the painting," I think to myself, unknowingly finding myself staring down the lifeless painting as if it was waiting to attack.

"So... wha-what do you think of it?" Meldalvyna asks, a shy, almost scared expression on her face, undoubtebly noticing my reaction to the painting.

"It's amazing- a little too amazing- I feel like I'm being watched by the painting itself. The eyes are EXTREMELY realistic... But I like it nonetheless," I answer, tearing my eyes away from the ones in the portrait &amp; bring them to Meldalvyna, a smile on my face that is both genuine &amp; forced.

"Thank you... &amp; that's why I covered it with a cloth. I felt like I was being watched at night if I could see the eyes. I covered it up because it felt like it was watching me while I was getting dressed one day... like its gaze was burning through the back of my head," Meldalvyna says with a nervous chuckle, glancing at the painting as if it were a person before covering it back up with the cloth.

"Well, maybe tomorrow we can have Luke stop at my apartment building so I can grab the drawing, &amp; so I can grab a few more bits of clothes from my apartment, considering I might be staying here for the entirety of the plan," I say while standing, wanting to get in a good amount of sleep before tomorrow.

"Yeah, maybe we could do that. I guess you're trying to get to bed, huh?" Meldalvyna asks, a tired look suddenly shadowing her face, the appearance of exhaustion visible in her entire form. Nodding, I give her a goodnight kiss &amp; a quick hug before parting &amp; walking to her door.

"Jak, wait," Meldalvyna says just as I put my hand on the doorknob, something in her tone making me &amp; feel a bit worried. Turning to look at her, I see her eyes dart around, like she is second guessing herself, an embarassed, unsure expression coursing across her face.

"What is it?" I ask, taking my hand off the knob &amp; turning to fully face her, wondering why she is acting so shyly, a fierce blush coming to her face as she glances at my eyes before flashing her own eyes away.

"Uhm... I- I was wondering if you could help me with my top. The part that goes around the bases of my wings &amp; between them are a little difficult for me to reach sometimes," Meldalvyna says sheepishly, her eyes never meeting mine, hovering about my body, but not once to my face.

"**Heheh, she's asking you to take her shirt of... I wonder what she's planning**," Dark says with a lecherous chuckle, his tone making me feel like that was what she was actually trying to get me to do, instead of just help her with the hard to reach the clasps on the back of her shirt.

"Yeah, sure," I say, now feeling a bit of embarassment myself, Dark's amused thought getting to me as I slowly walk over to Meldalvyna, a thankful expression on her face as she turns around &amp; parts her hair over her shoulders, exposing the area between her wings.

"_Dark, her intentions are pure... I am sure she's not planning, nor thinking, of anything dirty like that_," Light scolds the Dark Eco alter ego, aware of both my &amp; Meldalvyna's bashful discomfort. Trying my best to not let my hands shake, I push away the few straggling hairs from the camouflaged buttons &amp; begin undoing the strongly magnetic clasps around the bases of her wings before moving to the area between her wings.

"C-careful around there!" Meldalvyna nearly shouts as I press my fingers against her back between her wings to undo a button, her voice &amp; shoulders shudderring violently &amp; involuntarily.

"What'd I do?" I ask, worrying if I had hurt her by pressing to hard, or if I had accidentally pinched her.

"That spot between the wings is very sensitive &amp;... um... _sensual_ for dragons, &amp; I'm no exception," Meldalvyna says with embarassment clear in her voice, her shoulders still shaking viciously. Feeling a new rush of heat flooding my cheeks &amp; ears as I try to block Dark's earlier statement from coming back to mind, I pull the buttons away from Meldalvyna's back &amp; undo each one, making sure not to touch Meldalvyna's back.

Without warning or a single knock, the sound of Meldalvyna's bedroom door opening screeches through the air, causing us to both whip our eyes to the now fully open door, Hunter standing with his jaw hanging in embarassment at the doorway, Meldalvyna giving off a small squeal of surprise, jumping away from her as fast as I can.

"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry," Hunter stutters as he nearly jumps out of the room &amp; closes the door with a slam, "I didn't know you two were... uh... doing things in there."

"No, we weren't doing anything like that! I was just helping her with the clasps on the back of her shirt!" I say defensively, though it comes out shy &amp; guilty sounding.

"Jak's telling the truth, I asked him to help me because they're difficult to reach!" Meldalvyna adds, also sounding as sheepish &amp; guilty as I did.

"I should be going to bed now, big day tomorrow... love you" I say, my last two words only loud enough for Meldalvyna to hear. Nodding &amp; whispering back, Meldalvyna nudges me towards the door, through which I exit a second later to stand in the hall with Hunter.

"What just happened? You guys woke me up by slamming the door," Sparx says, flying out of his room with a tired look on his face, his voice exhausted &amp; annoyed, rubbing his eyes with the sides of his hands.

"Nothing, we surprised each other on accident," I lie, covering the incident for the both of us, glancing at Hunter, who nods in agreement, out of the corner of my eye. Thankfully, the dragonfly buys my taradiddle &amp; flies back into his room, closing the door behind him quietly without another word.

"Well, we just got ourselves out of one embarassing conversation... thank you for coming up with the excuse Jak," Hunter thanks after a second of silence, making sure that we weren't being watched or listened to.

"Hey, I didn't want to get stuck with that either. Well, that &amp; I didn't want to have to explain it to Cynder if Sparx ended up telling her about it, considering we weren't doing anything wrong when you walked in," I say beginning to walk to the room I now share with Hunter again, a friendly smile on my face.

"If you don't mind my asking, what were you doing in her room?" Hunter inquires once we're both in the room &amp; the door is shut.

"My Dark &amp; Light Eco alters were talking to me while you guys were going over the plan, so Meldalvyna was just filling me in on what I had missed," I answer while pulling on the muscle shirt &amp; shorts that I sleep in.

"I'm guessing their conversations can get a bit distracting at times?" Hunter asks once I turn to lay down on my bed, seated on his own, his green eyes interested &amp; curious. Nodding, I slide underneath the covers &amp; get comfortable, deciding to try to sleep on my back, my hands underneath my head.

"Do they get into arguments?" Hunter asks, his question causing me to turn my attention to him, he just looking straight into the air, his green eyes still visible in the dark, without my Dark Eco enhancing my vision.

"Yeah, every once in a while, I even sometimes argue with them... when Light was still new, he &amp; Dark seemed to always be arguing, usually with Dark threatening to attack Light &amp; yelling, while Light would just scorn Dark &amp; egg him on," I reply with a small smirk, remembering some of the strange &amp; random arguments that'd pop into my attention.

Hunter simply hums his response to what I said, closing his eyes &amp; shifting in his position on his bed, asleep within a few seconds. Shifting around myself, I find a comfortable position, thinking about what to get for Meldalvyna, &amp; what she told me about her back.

"_Huh, didn't Meldalvyna shudder the first time we let her drive, when we set our chin between her wings_?" Light asks, obviously having been listening in to my personal thoughts, his sudden voice in my mind shocking me into full awareness.

"**Yeah, she did... hm, maybe we should do that again the next time we get on a one-seater &amp; let her drive, like we had forgotten about what she told us about that area**," Dark chuckles ominously, sending my mind images of Meldalvyna that couldn't be less prurient, blocking each one as they came up.

"Guys, just let me sleep, we have a long day tomorrow, translating the plan scroll so Torn can make copies of them &amp; testing that zoomer &amp; comms. on the Warfang side of the UniPortal. That &amp; I want to see if I can ask Mel's family about what she really likes," I tell them mentally, effectively making each of them back off &amp; go silent. Shifting in the bed yet again, I feel myself drift off before I am even aware of it, falling into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note: **Well, that was a bit more boring than expected... but at least I ended it with a bit of humor &amp; had a funny little mishap between Hunter, Melly, &amp; Jak! I don't know if you guys can tell, but things are about to get adventurous! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, even though it was pretty boring in my opinion. tigerdj98 signing off, until next time!


	44. Dirty Thoughts & The Face of a Friend

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone that still decides to read this story, &amp; welcome to chapter... 44... yeah, WELCOME TO CHAPTER 44 of Of Two Worlds! Anyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed the last chapter, because I'm hoping this chapter will be better than the last (I honestly just wing chapters between major points)! You all who are reading this are extremely lucky that this chapter actually came out on time, &amp; I'll explain why at the bottom... So, without further ado, here's the rights, &amp; then this short little part of the story! Also, thank you guest reviewer for leaving me that wonderful message, whomever you may be!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Closing my bedroom door, separating myself from Jak &amp; Hunter, I stand next to the closed entrance, hearing Sparx griping about all the noise, listening with an amused grin to Jak's excuse for the disruption. The conversation goes quiet a minute later as I listen to the distinctive buzz of Sparx's wings approach his bedroom, his door opening &amp; shutting.

"_Maybe I should invite Jak back in here... No, no! Bad Mel, don't think like that... hm, that actually gives me an idea... hehe_," I think to myself with a laugh, Jak's &amp; Hunters footsteps retreating back to their shared guest room, giggling in embarassment at the idea for a gift to give to Jak for Christmas with a shake of my head as I hear Jak's &amp; Hunter's room door open &amp; shut. Pulling my top off, I replace the piece of beautiful cloth with my pajama top, stripping myself of the pants Jak bought me &amp; slipping into my night pants, the old brown cloth stretching as I force myself into it, the sound of snapping threads accompanying the uncomfortable tighness of the clothing. Finally in my full pajamas, I wriggle my tail &amp; wings around, getting them comfortable in the tight cloth before plopping down on my mattress.

"_I wonder how my mother would react to that... wait, Cynder &amp; Spyro said I could go to the party on my birthday... I could put 'im up to it then, hehe... mom &amp; dad will never have to know_," I contemplate further as I slide underneath my blankets, the dirty thoughts putting a mischeivious grin on my face. Getting comfortable, I close my eyes &amp; allow myself to drift off into a sleep, imaginative images of a bare-chested Jak pervading my mind.

Waking to the sound of my alarm clock, I groggily pull myself out of bed &amp; walk over to my dresser, planning to put on my Freedom League uniform. Looking at my uniform, I decide to let the uniform wait there, not really wanting to get out of my warm night clothes just yet. Exiting my room, I hear the door to Jak's &amp; Hunter's room open just as I'm about to stretch &amp; look over to see Hunter leaving the room. Looking up to me, Hunter nods his hello as he walks towards &amp; past me, not bothering to speak while he leaves the door ever so slightly ajar, he not really being the morning-talker kind of person. Waiting until he's made it down the stairs &amp; turned, I stretch again, raising my arms above my head &amp; clasping my hands together there, allowing my back to arch, my tail to tense &amp; curl, &amp; my wings to open to their fullest.

"Well hey there sexy, I've never seen you THAT before," Jak's voice calls out from down the hall, his sudden voice making me jump a little, whipping my attention in his direction. My eyes landing on him, I see his form leaning on the door frame, a handsome, devilish smirk on his face. Looking him over, I notice he's wearing a simple set of smooth-looking, baggy shorts &amp; a white muscle shirt, the size of the arm-holes not leaving much to the imagination to what his chest looks like, the finely chiseled muscle tone like that of an ancient Roman sculpture.

"They're my pajamas," I say with a smirk as I relax from my stretched position, trying to keep an embarassed blush or frown from coming to my face, the lewd thoughts that I had just a few hours ago resurfacing in my mind. With an amused shake of his head, Jak pushes himself off of the doorjamb &amp; walks towards me, stopping less than an inch away from my body,wrapping his brawny arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me into a quick hug &amp; small, yet passionate kiss.

"I could say the same to you though," I say with a smirk once he releases me, his face going from a tired, pleased one to a confused one. Cocking his head to the side, he looks at me with an expression that clearly states that he wants me to clarify, already forgetting the greeting he gave me.

"You said that you've never seen me in THIS before," I say with a full smirk, motioning to my outfit with my hand, Jak's face pulling into an understanding one, a silent 'oh' forming on his lips before nodding. Motioning for me to take the lead, I walk down the stairs, wrapping my tail around one of his hands, making sure not to hook or cut him with my tailblade, dragging him along with the flexible appendage. Once downstairs, I unwrap my tail from his hand as I round the corner into the kitchen, finding my breakfast &amp; Jak's breakfast already waiting for us, the scrolls that we are to translate resting between the two plates, a note in my mother's script laying not too far away from the scrolls. Looking around for the person who made our breakfasts of warm toast &amp; some hiphog ham, the meat leftovers from the dinner party the night before, we finally locked eyes with Hunter, who just smiles &amp; nods as he leaves the kitchen, headed down the hallway next to the stairs, most likely towards the bathroom.

"Must be from one of your parents," Jak comments a second later, passing me &amp; walking straight towards the note left next to the scrolls, scooping it up into his hands tenderly, careful not to crinkle the paper. Approaching him, I watch as his eyes dart back &amp; forth across the writing on the small paper, his expression that of confusion, making it obvious that he is trying to understand the written language on the page, our alphabets being disparate, though the spellings of each word the same.

"Well, I only recognize a few of the letters, like the 'c' &amp; the 'y', so I know the note is from your mom, but the rest is a mystery- I'm definately going to have to review that alphabet paper you &amp; I made sometime soon," Jak says once I stop next to him, reading the note over his shoulder.

"Wait, you remember some of the Draconian characters?" I ask, a little surprised by his statement of knowing parts of my alphabet when he's only seen the characters that one day. Jak looks at me, a grinning, yet questionable expression on his face, staring into my eyes as if he had been taken aback by something I said.

"So Draconian is what you guys call your language... &amp; Yes, I do remember a few of them, I DID help you with translating what you wanted to write on your hiring forms for the Freedom League," Jak answers, handing the note to me, obviously wanting me to read it aloud as he takes a seat infront of one of the plates of toast &amp; ham. Sitting down next to him, I cut into the ham with the fork that had been laying on my plate before pushing the meat onto the fork &amp; taking the bite. Jak follows suit a second later, seeing that I am going to read it after I finish eating. A few minutes later, we both wash our plates &amp; forks in the kitchen sink, I having left the note on the dining table.

"Well, about time I read this so you know what Cynder wrote," I begin clearing my throat a little as I sweep up the note into my hand, bringing it infront of my face with a dramatic flare, "the note reads: Morning to you Mel &amp; Jak, here are the scrolls we promised you. I hope Spyro's handwriting is clear enough for you to read, my daughter-especially toward the end of the second scroll- we stayed up very late last night writing the plan into the original set of scrolls, &amp; re-writing them into the scrolls you see before you. And no, the scrolls you have are only that belonging to our plan."

"Cynder sounds so proper... &amp; I hope your dad wrote large, or else we're going to have one hell of a time translating that all over into Precursarian," Jak comments, eyeing the two scrolls with a dreading expression, his face set in a deep frown.

"I'm hoping the same thing... come on, we should go get ready," I say, putting the note back where it had been before turning &amp; heading up the stairs, Jak following not too far behind. Separating at the top of the stairs, we go into our own separate rooms to get dressed into our Freedom League Uniforms, I exiting my room with my helmet in hand as Jak heads down the stairs, his own helmet in his arms, on a mission to get to the bathroom.

"Hey, wait up Jak," I call after him, the sound of my voice making him pause to turn &amp; look at me, a smile on his face as he slows his descent of the stairwell to a stop. Once I'm almost directly behind him, he continues on with his original pace, I following less than a foot behind. Turning at the foot of the stairs, we walk, side by side, to the bathroom, finding the room vacated, I entering first &amp; Jak shutting the door behind us.

"So, how do we want to do this? Should we just go about it like we normally do, or do we want to do what we did yesterday?" Jak asks while looking at my hair, idly motioning to my blue-rooted, red locks with a lazy wave of his hand.

"The first option sounds like it'd be best in account of time," I answer, scooping up my toothbrush &amp; wetting it in the flow of water pouring from the faucet before squeezing out a dab of toothpaste onto the little tool.

"_Though I'd rather comb your goattee_," I add mentally as I stuff the toothbrush into my mouth &amp; begin scrubbing, to stressed about the time we have to complete the task at hand say it out loud.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Jak says, eyeing my hair before applying toothpaste to his own toothbrush, a look of slight disappointment on his face as he begins to brush his teeth, breaking his concetration on my hair.

**Jak's POV**

Entering the bathroom together, I shut the door behind us, &amp; move in behind Meldalvyna. Turning back to her, I take notice of her free-flowing hair, which is usually in a loose braid due to her horns, watching her hair shimmer &amp; change its flow between her wings as she moves. Suddenly, Meldalvyna turns to face me, bringing my attention away from her long, multi-color hair to the equally colorful &amp; lustrous skin of her face, pulling my dark cerulean eyes to her bright foresty-jade ones.

"_I must say, something about Meldalvyna is far more beautiful than normal this morning_," Light sighs in my mind, his voice soft with idyllic admiration of the beauty before us.

"**I agree... something about her is comely today... but yet again, it could be just the fact that it looks like her breasts are about to pop out of her shirt**," Dark says with a tone of complete seriousness, his statement nearly making me frown &amp; physically yell at him. Keeping my cool, I ignore my anger &amp; embarassment, realizing that Dark was right about her current condition, keeping my expression in check by focusing on Meldalvyna's face &amp; hair, beginning to get the urge to brush her hair for her, wanting to feel its visibly soft texture.

"So, how do we want to do this? Should we just go about it like we normally do, or do we want to do what we did yesterday?" I ask while looking at her hair, subconciously waiving my hand towards the shining red &amp; blue tresses, trying to keep my expression muted &amp; not embarassed by Dark's statement, still unable to shake the urge to brush her hair for her.

"The first option sounds like it'd be best in account of time," Meldalvyna replies, picking up her toothbrush &amp; wetting it underneath the flow of the water from the faucet before putting some toothpaste on the small utensil. Putting her toothbrush into her mouth a second later, Medalvyna begins to scrub her teeth vigorously, a small look of worry &amp; stress flashing across her face for less than a second.

"I wonder what's wrong," I silently wonder as I prepare my toothbrush, curious why her expression changed to such a sour one, even for how short it was, eyeing her hair one last time before I put my toothpaste-adorned toothbrush in my mouth &amp; begin to brush. Spitting a couple minutes later, Meldalvyna grabs her brush &amp; I grab my comb, each of us neatening our hair to satisfaction. Looking at my goattee, I realize that I liked it better when Meldalvyna combs it for me, the look of my doing shabby compaired to the finesse of Meldalvyna's work. Turning, I find Meldalvyna already waiting for me, the bathroom door open. Following her out of the bathroom, I remember the promise to stop by my apartment to grab the drawing I drew of Meldalvyna, seeing the sketch of a young Meldalvyna with her young friends I had noticed the night before, &amp; have been meaning to ask her about since last night.

"Hey Mel, the painting we're coming up to, is that with you &amp; your friends when you were little?" I ask, my question making her stop dead in her tracks, I almost walking into her from her sudden stop, a curious &amp; surprised look on her face. Looking ahead of us at the walls, she finds the painting in particular &amp; smiles, her happy expression reminiscent &amp; absolutely gorgeous.

"Yeah, I take it you noticed them last night?" Meldalvyna asks, walking down the hall &amp; stopping infront of the painting, the material of the picture brown, the paints black &amp; flowing. Going to stand next to her, I begin to look over the faces of the souls captured in the painting, immediately recognizing Meldalvyna's face, as well as Coles, each of them missing a pair of horns that they currently own. In the picture, I count a total of three dragons (Meldalvyna included), a feline-like creature looking like it belongs to the same species &amp; general area as Hunter, &amp; a canine-like person all standing together in the painting, happy smiles on each of their faces.

"Yes, I noticed Cole looking at it, so I looked- which is part of what distracted me last night. I already know where you &amp; Cole are, but what are the others' names?" I ask, looking at Meldalvyna again, happy to find that she still had that reminiscent smile on her face. Lifting a finger to the painting, Meldalvyna sets a diget one one of the dragons that was standing behind, this one dragon having a more enthusiastic smile than anyone else, plenty of horns on her head, one pair on each side wrapped around each other like vines of tanned bone.

"This is Shula Titaia, &amp; I met her at the same time I met Cole, which happened to be a play break after a lecture about Dracan history... Daxter reminds me of her a little with his hyper, happy-go-lucky, friendly demeanor... I bet if you were to ever meet her, which I'm betting on if the plan goes like it should, that you'd like her, once you got past her brand of explosive hyperactivity," Meldalvyna says with a laugh, her smile only widening as she speaks of her friend. About to point to another face, Meldalvyna jumps slightly in surprise, the sound of something buzzing near us. Reaching into a pocket I didn't even know she had, Meldalvyna pulls out her comm. unit &amp; looks over the screen, a small, confused look over her face.

"Could you read this for me? I know it's from Luke, I recognize enough Precursarian characters to be able to tell that, &amp; a few other things, but I can't read it all," Meldalvyna says, looking at me with a hopeful, small grin. I nod, &amp; she hands me her communicator. Flicking my eyes across the message, reading the words quickly.

"Luke's outside waiting for us... not exactly what it said, but that's the gist of it," I tell her, handing Meldalvyna back her comm. Following close behind her, but far enough to not nearly walk into her again, we walk back to where we had left the pair of scrolls. Meldalvyna gently picks up the one to the left, a strange symbol visible on its outside, &amp; gently sets it down into a earthy-brown, soft-looking satchel that I hadn't noticed she possesed on her shoulder, picking up the scroll on the right &amp; repeating.

"What were the symbols on the outsides of the scrolls?" I ask, Meldalvyna looking back at me, a happy smile on her face, like one would do when seeing the smiling face of a young child that's eager to learn from you. The expression caressing her features sends a warm shiver through me, making me want to ask her more questions like the one I had, the Eco beneath the surface of my flesh seeming to hum harmoniously to the look on her face.

"They were numbers one &amp; two. The first one I put in my bag was the second one, &amp; I followed with the first. I thought it'd make it easier getting them out for translating later," Meldalvyna answers, the smile remaining on her face, though now I felt stupid for not realizing that the symbols weren't letters, &amp; that each one was alone on it's page.

"So, you ready for today, Mel?" I ask, sliding my helmet over my head, knowing that it will probably be pretty cold outside. Meldalvyna buttons closed her satchel &amp; puts on her own helmet after taking a wary sniff in the direction of the door.

"Yeah, I guess. We'll still be stopping by your apartment so you can pick up your drawing of me, right?" Meldalvyna asks as we walk toward the door together, her wings wrapped around herself in attempt to keep all her body-heat in, tail hidden beneath the mass of her wings &amp; cloak. Nodding, I open the door for my lady, looking out at the air-tran, its back hatch already open &amp; waiting for us. Rushing past me, Meldalvyna bolts straight for the door of the transport zoomer, &amp; I rush behind her after gently shutting the door. Running into the back of the large vehicle, I slam my already cold fist into the interior of the gravity-defying machine, the door closing slowly as the air-tran lifts off the ground.

**Author's Note:** Well, that ended up WAY shorter than I wanted it to, but at least I gave some hints for the future, &amp; started the chapter with an interesting thought from our main OC! Okay, so the reason I was almost late with this chapter is because I've been swamped with homework (&amp; getting distracted by other fanfictions), &amp; also having to go to basketball games with the band when I'm not even needed (it's for a grade, so I have to). Other than that, I honestly found this chapter a little boring, but hey, I think I've found the song for one _particular_ part of one of the future chapters! Now, all I have to do is settle on character descriptions in a personal base I have, the new character Shula Titaia especially. Anyways, until next time, tigerdj98 signing off!


	45. Getting Things Started

**Author's Note:** Hello everybody! So, hopefully this chapter, as well as the next few coming ones, will have you guys entertained, &amp; not bored like the last few leading up to this point. I hope you guys can tell, but just incase you haven't noticed, things are getting pretty serious in multiple ways! Without further ado, this chapter!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Jak pounds his fist on the interior of the air-tran, telling our pilot to lift off &amp; close the hatch of the vehicle. Too slow for my liking, the transport zoomer lifts into the air as the door closes, finally cutting the warm interior off from the cold exterior. Jak walks to the front of the gravity-defying vehicle after a second &amp; into the cockpit.

"Hey Luke, we need to make a stop off at my apartment before we report into the Freedom League to pick up some stuff," Jak says, Luke nodding in understanding. Jak pats the back of the seat before turning back in my direction, a smile on his face as he walks towards me, only to take a seat on one of the benches. Looking at me after he finds himself still alone on the metal seat, he pats the bench with an encouraging smile. With a smirk of my own, I walk over &amp; sit next to him, wrapping my tail around his waist as I lean against him, allowing my wing to inch towards the center of his back, resting one of my hands on his knee.

"Are you cold or are you just trying to get comfy?" Jak asks, noticing my sudden closesness, a single eyebrow raised in amused confusion.

"A little bit a'both," I reply with an inward smirk to my secretive antics, snuggling closer into his side, allowing my wing to extend a little further towards the small of his back, wanting to see if I could get him to twitch. Unknowingly, Jak falls into my trap &amp; nuzzles a bit towards me, wrapping an arm around my side &amp; pulling me closer while resting the side of his cheek on the base of my horns.

With an evil smirk clear on my face, I take my hand away from Jak's leg, causing him to lift his head in curiosity, just as I run a slightly exposed claw up the length of his spine. Jak immediately reacts, his back curving violently in attempt to get away from my finger making its way quickly up his spine, grabbing my hands as I begin to laugh at his reaction. Attempting to jolt away from me in his seat, I stop his attempt to get away from my teasing with my wing that had been behind him, pulling him back towards me as I again run my finger up his spine laughing more as he squirms in my grip, a determined half frown, half smirk on his face.

"You know what, if that's how you're going to play," Jak begins, his voice hitching in a slight growl as he speaks, obviously trying to hold in his laughter, a full on smirk on his face. His hands flash to my back, going to just above the base of my tail, his fingers pressing roughly into my spine while he slides them upwards, towards the spot between my wings. Before he can reach that area, I swat his hands away &amp; pull my my wings together behind my back.

"Hey, not fair, you know what happens if you touch there," I say as Jak tries again for that area, my reminder making him stop dead in his tracks, only for another smirk to come to his face as he tries at my sides, causing me to fall off the bench onto the floor of the air-tran with a surprised, giggling squeal.

"What are you two doing back there?!" Luke shouts, an amused &amp; concerned tone to his voice, quickly glacing back at us before returning his attention to driving the giant zoomer. Getting caught playing around, Jak helps me back to my feet after sending a sheepish smirk in Luke's direction, pulling me into his lap as he sits down, a small smile on his face as he rests his chin on my shoulder, his nose nuzzled in my hair, his smile pressed on my neck. After a few minutes of relaxing, I feel the transport zoomer beginning to descend, landing a second later. Standing, I let Jak get to the door as the vehicle comes to a landing, the door opening a second later, Jak rushing out of the machine &amp; into the building.

"So, what exactly is he picking up?" Luke asks as I take Jak's seat, deciding to leave the back hatch open for Jak's return, turning to me so he doesn't have to strain his neck looking over his shoulder.

"Some clean clothes &amp; stuff of the like," I answer, my reply being clear enough for Luke to accept, the young pilot turning back towards the steering apparatus as Jak comes running out of the building's doors &amp; into the air-tran. I stand as the transport zoomer takes off back into the sky &amp; the back hatch closes, letting Jak sit back in his seat. I take his pile of clothes from him &amp; set it on the bench next to us, intending to take back my place on Jak's lap. Jak smirks as I set myself down on his lap, resting my head ontop of his.

"I'll show you the drawing once we're in the Freedom League translating the scrolls," Jak whispers once I find a comfortable position, wrapping my arm around the back of his shoulders as I nuzzle my chin on top of his head, he resting his head on my shoulder like earlier.

"Okay, I'll be waiting then," I whisper back with a smile of my own, giving Jak's shoulders a small squeeze, wrapping my tail around his back, allowing myself to lean against him, he leaning against the air-tran's wall behind him. Basking in his warmth, I feel myself beginning to fall asleep in Jak's arms. Closing my eyes, I feel myself begin to drift in &amp; out, my eyes becoming heavy, my outer-most wing subconsciously covering my side like a blanket, the opposite slowly drooping downward to rest on the bench.

"We're here... do you guys want me to wait a minute?" Luke's voice suddenly calls out as I feel the transport zoomer land, making me jolt into full awareness, opening my eyes to find Luke looking at us with a strange, almost apologetic grin on his face. With a sheepish smile, I stand up &amp; stretch while giving my head a good shake, trying to get ride of the sleepy feeling in my eyes.

"Did you fall asleep?" Jak asks with a curious smirk, standing &amp; stretching as well. With a yawn, I nod while pulling up my hood, wrapping my wings around myself in attempt to keep as much body heat to myself as the back door of the air-tran begins to open. Jak chuckles as he walks closer to me, grabbing my hand &amp; readying himself to dart with me through the crowd of people that are waiting on the other side. Stopping him just before the door opens completely, I take his clothes from him &amp; put them into his pack carefully, not knowing where the drawing of me is.

"See you later Luke," I call sleepily over my shoulder once the door is fully open, Jak pulling me out behind him &amp; through the throng of people, reporters, various news anchors, &amp; into the Freedom League HQ. Once the doors are shut behind us, I pull down my hood &amp; release Jak's hand, letting Jak lead me to the punch-card slots.

"Hey Jak, where are we going for the translating of the scrolls?" I ask as I punch my time card, Jak already having punched his. He looks at me, a confused look on his face giving way to a realizing expression.

"You know what, I have no idea where to go for that either. I guess we can go find &amp; ask Torn where," Jak replies, grabbing my hand gently &amp; pulling me down a hallway I had been down only a few times, each occasion being to talk to Torn. After a minute or two of walking down the amazingly empty hallway, Jak finally stops infront of an office, knocking on the door with his free hand.

"Come in," Torn's voice calls through the door. Turning the nob, Jak leads me into Torns office, I closing the door behind me with my tail as I pass through the doorway. Torn looks up at us a second later, a concerned expression on his face as he glances between us, as if he expected us to give him some bad news.

"Hey Torn, where do Meldalvyna &amp; I go to translate these two scrolls?" Jak asks, a completely serious look on his face, his question quelling the seeming distraught in Torn's mind, his tattooed face going from stiff concern to relaxed calm.

"Just continue down this hall &amp; take a left. After that, it's the fourth door on the right. Office 285, you'll find a pair of extra keys behind the number plate," Torn answers with a light smirkish kind of grin, like he knew we'd come in to ask him where to go.

"Thanks Torn," Jak says as we exit the room, the hallway still utterly vacant, Jak pulling the door to Torn's office closed behind him. Motioning for me to follow him, we begin walking down the hall &amp; towards office 285.

"Hey, is it just me, or did it seem like Torn knew we were going to stop by his office?" I ask Jak, picking up my pace so I can walk next to Jak &amp; talk to him more comfortabley. Jak looks at me, a curious dip in his brows, obviously considerring my question.

"I guess so. I'm barely even in the building, &amp; I don't do office work, so yeah, I guess he'd expect me not to know where to go," Jak replies with a small grin &amp; a shrug, waltzing around the corner, his thumbs wrapped in small dents on both sides of his Freedom League armor. A few seconds later, we're standing outside the room, Jak finding the keys where Torn said they'd be, unlocking &amp; opening the door.

With an small flourish &amp; a small smirk, Jak holds open the door &amp; gestures for me to enter the surprisingly large office first. I can't help but laugh at his antics as I walk into the room, shaking my head the entire time. Closing the door behind us, Jak wraps an arm around my side as I take down my hood &amp; gently pulls me with him to one of two desks in the room, leaving me the posh, leather chair belonging to the particular desk to sit in while he retrieves the other, ergonomic office chair.

"Uh Jak, I'm going to need that one," I say as I look over the comfy looking chair that he intended for me to sit in, &amp; comparing it to the chair he was getting for himself.

"Why?" Jak asks, wheeling the other chair to the desk I'm standing near, a smile on his lips &amp; a curious furrow to his brows.

"This chair has no space for my wings, the back is too curved &amp; there isn't a lot of space for them &amp; my tail," I say, motioning to the high back &amp; small seat of the leather chair. Jak takes a second to look between the chairs before pushing the ergonomic towards me &amp; scooting the high-backed leather chair across the floor to himself, taking a seat in his new seat as I take mine, scooting closer to the beautiful wooden desk while I take out the two scrolls &amp; lay them gently on the table unopened.

"Well, time to start translating these things," Jak says with a sigh, the expression on his face making it plainly obvious that he didn't want to do the task, tired shadows already coming to his eyes.

**Jak's POV**

"Well, time to start translating these things," I say with a sigh, feeling mentally exhausted from just thinking about completing the task at hand. Meldalvyna looks at me with a weird grin on her face, as if she knew something I didn't.

"Did you already forget about what you said you'd do once we got in here?" Meldalvyna asks a second later, the grin growing into a full, amused smirk. Looking her up &amp; down for a second, I finally realize she was referencing the drawing she had put in my pack along with my extra clothes.

"I guess I did... give me a sec'," I say while I take the pack off my back &amp; dig through my back, finding the drawing a second later folded up in a different piece of paper, to keep the graphite from smudging onto the rest of the image. Pulling it out of the pack, I gently unfold the papers &amp; take away the plain guard-paper. Fighting back a sheepish smile &amp; replacing it with a forced, confident smirk, I hand the drawing to Meldalvyna. Slowly, she scans the drawing, a small grin coming to her face as her eyes go wider in happiness. Looking up at me, she sets the drawing down gently on the desk, &amp; I immediately begin to feel nervous for what she might say as she looks back down at the penciled image.

"It's great... such amazing attention to detail. I can't believe you even drew the patches under my eyes &amp; what you could see on my forhead. If you could, would you drawn it in color?" Meldalvyna asks, looking at me with a curious grin on her face.

"I- I don't know. I'm not too great at the 'color' part, but I guess if I had the supplies, I might have," I reply, a little nervous under her happy gaze, feeling like if I gave her the wrong answer she'd break down infront of me. A wide, happy smile takes her face, pulling one of the scrolls closer to her &amp; gently tugging it open.

"Well, that's great," Meldalvyna says as she scans the scroll, reading over whatever lay in the characters of the message.

"Why is that great?" I ask, taken off guard by her comment, slightly concerned at what she meant by it, or if she was playing a trick on me.

"It's great because the drawing looks like it is a picture taken by a black-and-white camera, &amp; can't get any better in my opinion. I mean it couldn't get any better in a GOOD way," Meldalvyna says, tripping over her meaning towards the end.

"I get it. Since we're starting that, we should probably make a small alphabet, to make translating easier &amp; faster," I say with a reassuring smile as Meldalvyna opens the second scroll &amp; begins to read the writing inside. Meldalvyna nods absentmindedly, &amp; I begin the search for a piece of paper or a little notepad. Pulling out a few drawers to look through them, I finally find a pad of large, square sticky-notes, a stack of white printer paper, &amp; a few pens, as well as pencils.

"Okay, so our alphabets are the same... so you can write the Draconian alphabet, &amp; I can write the Precursarian alphabet beneath it," I say as Meldalvyna puts down the scroll, raising an eyebrow at me. Looking at her with concern, I try to figure out why she's looking at me the way she is.

"Or I could just read off each of the scrolls &amp; have you copy them down," Meldalvyna suggests with a small grin on her face &amp; I nearly face-palm, realizing that her way would be much faster &amp; much easier to accomplish the task.

"You were only half-listening to me, weren't you?" I ask with a smirk as I put away the sticky-notes &amp; the pens, not feeling to comfortable writing out the translations with the permanent writing utensils.

"Maybe, maybe not," Meldalvyna answers with a smirk of her own, picking back up the first scroll &amp; unrolling it as I take out a few pieces of paper to write on.

"Well, let's start this thing," I say with a final sigh as Meldalvyna &amp; I ready ourselves. Almost an hour later, I scratch down the last few Precursarian characters left, Meldalvyna already having gotten out the next scroll.

"You want to take a coffee break?" I ask, watching as a large yawn claims her face &amp; makes it look like Meldalvyna's head is about to rip in two starting at her jaws. With a sleepy nod, Meldalvyna &amp; I stand as she pulls up her hood, I grasping her hand in mine gently &amp; pulling her toward the door after I grab the keys to the room. Exiting the room, I lock the door behind us so we don't chance having the scrolls stolen. Walking down &amp; into the Mess Hall, one of the only rooms in the Freedom HQ I actually know where it is, I find the area with the coffee makers &amp; begin to whip up two cups of coffee, one black for me, before I realize I don't know how Meldalvyna makes her coffee.

"Hey Mel, how do you like your coffee?" I ask, turning to her with a plain cup in my hand, intended for her. Meldalvyna stands up from her leaning position on the counter, her gloved hand moving up to the opening of her hood, her body language suggesting she is confused.

"You know, I honestly don't know. I haven't had it before," Meldalvyna answers, a slightly curious tone to her voice. Handing her the mug of black coffee, I silently suggest she should try it this way first. Taking a cautious sip, Meldalvyna recoils instantly &amp; hands the mug back to me, a rough hissing sound coming out from underneath her hood, as if she is trying to expel the taste from the back of her throat.

"It's an acquired taste, but at least we now know you don't like black coffee... here, now try," I say after mixing in a spoonfull of sugar &amp; creamer into the black liquid in her mug. Tentatively, she takes the mug back in her hand &amp; takes another sip before giving me back the cup, the hissing sound from before absent.

"A little better... maybe a bit milkier &amp; sweeter," Meldalvyna says, a frown on her hidden face obvious in her voice. With a grin &amp; a shake of my head, I stir in another two spoonfulls each of sugar &amp; creamer.

"Here, how's that?" I ask as I hand Meldalvyna the cup. Taking a sip, not nearly as hesitant as last time, Meldalvyna hands it back to me.

"Maybe another spoonful or two of whatever is making it sweeter...a jeez, more sugar is what I mean, dur. But no more of the creamy stuff," Meldalvyna answers, face-palming for forgetting the word for sugar, only to be replaced by a slight grin in her voice.

"Of course," I say with a grin of my own, stirring in two more spoonfulls of sugar before handing it back to Meldalvyna a fourth &amp; hopefully final time. Taking a sip, a satisfied hum echoes out of her hood as the cup disappears a second time beneath Meldalvyna's hood as she takes another sip. Smiling, I take a few swallows of my own coffee as I lead her to one of the many dining tables, all of them so far empty. Spending a few minutes in peaceful silence, we sit &amp; drink our coffee together, simply enjoying each other's presense, the room slowly gaining a few other patrons. Finishing off my mug of the bitter black fluid, I glance over to Meldalvyna &amp; watch as she finishes off her own serving.

"You ready to head back?" I ask, grinning when a nod shifts Meldalvyna's hood up &amp; down in agreement. Going over to where we retrieved the two mugs, we hand them to the clean-up crew in the kitchen &amp; walk back to our office, this time passing by a few people, trading salutes as we go by. Making it to the door, I fish the keys to the room out of my pocket &amp; unlock the entryway. Going back to the desk &amp; taking our seats, I set up for the translating of the next scroll, grabbing another piece of paper.

"This one is a it longer than the first one, so thise one'll take a bit more time to translate," Meldalvyna says as she opens the second scroll, putting the first scroll back into her satchel. With a raised eyebrow, I motion for Meldalvyna to begin reading the contents of the scroll. With a deep breath from each of us, we begin the long process of translating the scroll from one alphabet to another. An hour &amp; a half later, we finally finish translating the second scroll. With a relieved sigh, I collect the copies of the two scrolls &amp; put them in a stack in order. Standing, I begin collecting my things together. Putting my clothes into my pack, which had been taken out earlier, I walk towards the door to wait near the passage for Meldalvyna as she puts away the second scroll, the translations in my hand.

"Wait, you're forgetting your drawing," Meldalvyna says, grabbing the nearly forgotten sketch off of the desk &amp; walking up to me, turning me around &amp; putting the drawing in my pack herself.

"Thanks Mel. Aren't you going to put up your hood?" I ask, realizing Meldalvyna had the piece of cloth down &amp; away from her face. With a wide, realizing eyes, she yanks her hood up over her head &amp; horns, the shadows created immediately masking her face away from sight. With an amused smirk &amp; a shake of my head, I open the door &amp; exit the room, Meldalvyna tailing just behind me. Turning to lock the door, I return the key to its hiding place. Once finished locking up &amp; hiding the key, I return my attention to Meldalvyna, interlocking our hands together before walking down the hall towards Torn's office. Knocking on the Freedom League Chief of Arms's door, I wait &amp; listen for a call to come in.

"Come in," Torn yells through the door. Opening the passage, I hold the door open for Meldalvyna before passing through myself, closing the door behind me.

"We've finished translating the scrolls for the plans," Meldalvyna says as she pulls down her hood, immediately getting to the point. She turns to me, a look of expectation in her eyes. At a loss for only a second, I hand her the translations of the two scrolls, which she then hands to Torn.

"Excellent... I take it that this is your handwritting Jak?" Torn asks as he reads over the first page of the translations, never bringing his eyes away from the writing.

"Yeah, why?" I answer, curious as to why it would matter if I wrote it or not.

"_Maybe he would've liked to see Meldalvyna's handwritting_," Light suggests, speaking up for the first time today, his sudden voice in the back of my mind almost making me jump.

"**Damn it, it's too fuckin' early to hear you two worrying so damn much over a stupid-assed question like that. Shut the fuck up already**," Dark growls, obviously just having woken up, &amp; not being very happy about it, &amp; I have to restrain myself from shaking my head in slight annoyance. Returning my attention to Torn, I see both Meldalvyna &amp; the Chief of Arms staring at me.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? Light &amp; Dark were talking to me for a minute there," I say sheepishly, holding back a yawn, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion.

"I said that I could tell. You have the neatest handwritting here. But, the next time you two do a report, or something like this, I would like to see Meldalvyna's handwriting. I was wondering if you could help her learn our alphabet," Torn replies, an annoyed scowl on his face. With a nod &amp; another sheepish grin, Torn dismisses us, &amp; we go to punch out, both of us happy to be done with events until Carl brings the one-seated zoomer to Meldalvyna's house in Haven City Forrest. Taking out my communicator, I send a summoning message to Luke, telling him we're ready to be taken back to the house in the forrest.

**Author's Note:** Well, as you've probably noticed, I almost forgot to include Dark &amp; Light in this chapter, so yay for one-liners! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, &amp; found it a bit more entertaining than last chapter. So, if you see anything that needs fixing, get my attention, 'cuz I'm up from constructive criticism! Other than that, see you guys next chapter, tigerdj98 signing out, wishing you all a happy Valentine's Day!


	46. Waiting for Zoomers & To the UniPortal

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone &amp; welcome to chapter 46 of this little (though honestly not that small) story! I know that with last chapter I could've been a bit more romantic, considerin' the date I posted it on, but hey, my plan for that chapter didn't really have room for romantic antics... at least there was at least one "cute" scene for you guys. Don't worry though, I do plan on having a cuter, lovey-dovey scene later on in the story! ;)

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"I'm sorry, what did you say? Light &amp; Dark were talking to me for a minute there," Jak says with a sheepish tone, tired circles seeming to suddenly appear under his eyes as he stifles a yawn, I slipping my hood up without either of the two men noticing.

"I said that I could tell. You have the neatest handwritting here. But, the next time you two do a report, or something like this, I would like to see Meldalvyna's handwriting. I was wondering if you could help her learn our alphabet," Torn replies, an annoyed scowl on his face. Jak nods with another apologetic grin before Torn dismisses us, &amp; we head over to the front lobby of the Freedom League HQ, both of us grinning &amp; happy to be done with work for the day. Standing next to the front doors of the building, Jak pulls out his communicator &amp; messes with the small device for a few seconds before he puts it back into his pocket.

"Who did you message?" I ask from my position leaning against the wall a foot or so away from him, though I already had a guess at who it was that he sent the message to.

"Luke. I was just telling him we're ready to head back already," Jak answers from his similar position, turning his head away from the one-way glass doors &amp; looking at me with a small smile on his face. With a nod, I let the empty hall return to its general silence before getting bored of leaning on the wall with space between my love &amp; I, Jak returning his attention to watching for our pilot. Pushing myself off the wall, I walk up to Jak &amp; lean against both him &amp; the wall, Jak wrapping his arm around my waist as I nuzzle the top of my browline against his chin, the angle making it appear as though I'm shorter than him. Basking in his warmth, I make sure to stay awake this time, closing my eyes for intervals of only a few seconds.

A few minutes later, our ride back to my house comes into view outside, the sea of reporters beneath it parting for the massive vehicle to avoid being crushed underneath its weight. Watching it land, Jak gently nudges me off him, both of us preparing for the mad dash through the throng of people to the currently opening posteriour of the air-tran. As soon as the landing gear of the transport zoomer touches the ground, Jak &amp; I burst out of the building &amp; push our way through the reporters into the back of the waiting vehicle. Seemingly, the air-tran begins to rise into the air once both of our feet touch the inside of the transport zoomer away from the back hatch, the door closing behind us as we take a seat on the metal benches, I again finding my place on Jak's lap for the third time that day.

"That was quicker than expected... was the scroll short?" Luke asks over his shoulder, a curious &amp; intrigued tone to his voice, his scent telling me the inquiry was completely pure.

"There were two scrolls, &amp; each of them were pretty long, I just read them off to Jak," I answer for the both of us, Jak's nose sliding up my cheek, a kiss pressing against my jawline a second later, a small smile on his lips, the smell of warm sunshine &amp; cool nighttime dew wafting from him, the scent of appreciation. In pleasant silence we all sit, the only sound splitting the silence being that of the engines. A few minutes later, I feel the air-tran begin to descend, the feeling pulling me back into full consciousness, almost falling asleep again in Jak's lap. Both of us standing as the main door of the transport zoomer, Jak &amp; I look out of the back of the vehicle to see we're landing in my parents' front yard.

"Well, since you showed us how to get here last night, I thought I'd just drop you two off here instead of making you walk all the way up here from the original drop-point," Luke says in defense &amp; reasoning after receiving a curious glance from Jak &amp; me, a smile in his voice, his facial expression hidden by the visor of his helmet.

"Oh, thanks then Luke. See you later, &amp; tell Carl I said 'hi' for me," I say, sneakily suppressing a yawn in the pause between my thanks &amp; my request. Luke gives me a thumbs up, turning back to the controls of the air-tran, giving us the message that he wanted to get to helping Carl with the one-seater. Walking out of the back of the transport zoomer, we give one final waive to the leaving vehicle, not sure if Luke can see us or not, before heading towards my house, trying to beat the chill flooding up &amp; into our bodies. Feeling rushed by the creeping cold, I unlock the front door &amp; hurry inside, pulling Jak behind me. Thankfully, Jak closes the door behind us, &amp; the warmth of the fire in the den finds its way to my skin, heating my previously chilling limbs, &amp; I sigh in relief as I take off my Freedom League armored cloak &amp; drape it on the hanger for later.

"So, we have a little while to wait, right?" Jak asks, a tired look on his face, obviously wanting to nap at least for a few minutes.

"Yeah, until noon. Sorry that I forgot to tell you that we're waiting until then. It's just that if Hunter &amp; Cole leave once Carl gets here with Luke, they'll most likely get to Warfang at midnight," I answer, a happy, relieved smile lifting Jak's lips. With a grin &amp; small chuckle, I wrap my hand around Jak's as we make our way to the living room, planting a light kiss on Jak's kiss on the way. Being the first one of us to look in the direction of the kitchen, I see Cole standing near the table, a grin on his face.

"Oh don't mind me... I was looking for a pick-me-up to peak my interest anyhow," Cole says with a smirk, I immediately catch what he meant by the comment. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice an annoyed look on Jak's face, &amp; I can't help but blush a little, thinking about giving our onlooker a run for his money. Deciding to go through with my devious little play, I grab Jak by the shoulders &amp; tugging him infront of me, taking the blond by surprise as I spin him so his back is to Cole, &amp; press my lips against his, faking hunger for him, positioning myself so that I could see Cole's reaction. To my pleasure, I watch as Cole bursts laughing, his eyes going wide &amp; his jaw dropping in a guffawing smile, not letting Jak know I was watching the other dragon in the room the entire time. Pulling away with a devious smile to fill my depleted lungs with air, I see a dazed, slightly dissappointed, but otherwise happy smile on Jak's face. Turning away from me, the smile remains on his face as a boastful scent wafts from him, looking Cole in the eye as if to brag 'see what happened there.'

"Dude, I told you already, I'm not gonna steal her from you, that boat already sunk between her &amp; I. Ancestors, I didn't even really get a chance. I don't mind though, I think our friend Shula is getting to like me... she's been clingy toward me since after the sparring matches last year when Mel kicked my tail in the champion match for our age group," Cole says, a slightly hurt look in his eyes, though a smirk remained on his face, a smirk I learned to mean one thing. A smirk that meant he was going to blow my cover on the little display I just gave.

"Oh really? She's not too hyper for you?" I ask before Cole can say anything, distracting his current train of thought with my little question, though I can honestly say that I was interested if my dragonesse friend did infact want to be with Cole.

"I- I guess not, she's really nice to me all the time, even though at times I can be a bit of a jerk &amp; a creep... so no, I'd say she's not too hyper for me, it'll be something I'll get used to," Cole replies, the hidden smirk replaced with a serious expression. Having successfully redirected the conversation, I re-wrap my hand around Jak's &amp; pull him into the living room, letting him have my couch as I sit on one of the piles of pillows. Not yet realizing that I chose a seat away from him, Jak lies down on the couch &amp; scoots against the back before noticing my absence.

"Well, we have a while, &amp; you fell asleep in the air-tran, come join me," Jak says, patting the spot just infront of him with a gentle, asking smile. With a smile to Jak &amp; a shoeing motion with my tail toward Cole, I join Jak on the couch, sitting instead of lying down, earning a confused glance from Jak, a single, green-tinged eyebrow raising in question. Happily, Cole has already left the room for some other part of the house, leaving the two of us alone.

"My wings &amp; tail," I say with a reminding tone, an 'oh' forming on Jak's lips as he sits up, patting the tops of his knees, silently suggesting that I take my place on his legs again. I happily find my spot on Jak's lap, curling my legs up &amp; snuggling myself against his chest, wrapping my arms around his torso &amp; my tail around his legs. Jak's arms wrap around my waist, relaxing into the couch, closing his eyes, his facial expression one of bliss, a small smile on his face. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I hear Jak's breathing even &amp; deepen as I too begin to feel the sacred pull of slumber.

What seems like only seconds later, I awake to the feeling of my shoulder being shaken by a large paw with long digets &amp; claws. Opening my tired eyes, I catch sight of Spyro standing before Jak &amp; I, a smile on his face as he drops his front paw down to the ground. Looking around for a second, I realize that it's already noon, &amp; I give Jak's shoulder a small shake, waking him as well.

"Carl, Luke, Cheif of Arms Torn, &amp; Daxter are here with the zoomer. But, I want you two to eat lunch first before you go," Spyro says, a smile in his eyes, his mentioning Daxter making me wake up the rest of the way.

"_Huh, I didn't expect Daxter to come... must want to be with Jak_," I think to myself as I stand up &amp; stretch my legs, wings, &amp; tail. Looking behind me, I see Jak still sitting on the couch, a slightly confused look on his face.

"Daxter's here?" Jak asks, the tired, still half-asleep look to his eyes, a blank, confused expression on his face. Nodding for my answer, Jak blinks twice before standing &amp; stretching. Following me to the dining table, we sit next to each other, Hunter sitting across from us, having set our plates on the table for us, sending a smile of greeting to us, Cole eating not too far away. Hungrily, we scarf down our lunch, not even worrying about the type of meat used in the sandwiches.

Waiting for Hunter &amp; Cole to finish up, we all head out together after they grab their copies of the plan scrolls &amp; I put on my cloak, greeted by the blustery cold of the near-winter weather. Looking around, I catch sight of the transport zoomer, leading my little group over to the air-tran. Rounding the corner of the vehicle, I find the eyes of Torn, Carl, Luke, &amp; Daxter all looking at us, expectant &amp; ready looks on their faces.

**Jak's POV**

"Hey Jak, hey Mel! How's it goin'?" Daxter greets happily in question as everyone simply waives, grinning as soon as he sees us, scurrying across the floor of the transport zoomer to jump onto his familiar perch on my shoulder. Looking into the air-tran, I see a light green, slightly dented in places, single-seater zoomer strapped to the various hook points with ratchet straps &amp; bungee cords to keep it from moving around too much.

"Great Dax. It's a bit cold for my tastes, but other than that, it's a good day to do this," Meldalvyna answers with a smile, Daxter smiling even wider in her response.

"You sure that thing is stable?" I ask, not sure if I can trust the zoomer, not wanting to risk anyone's well-being with a possibly faulty zoomer.

"Yeah, Keira said that this one is built for people learning to drive a zoomer, &amp; has a great engine, anti-grav suspension, &amp; brand new brake-systems &amp; braking flaps," Carl replies, motioning idly to various parts of the zoomer. Grunting in understanding, I step into the back of the air-tran &amp; begin to unhook the one-seater from the inside of the transport zoomer, the other three that came with the single-seat standing &amp; helping to release the zoomer from its bindings &amp; easing it out of the back of the air-tran. Not even a second after the one-seater is out of the transport zoomer, Luke hops on the single-seater.

"Oh wait, I forgot my gun in the room, I'll be right back," I say as I jog off toward the house, Daxter hopping off of my shoulder &amp; onto Meldalvyna's, remembering that my roll in this part of the plan was to protect the group with Torn against possible Metalheads. Rushing into the living room, I immediately take off upstairs, hopping over all the steps I knew were deemed dangerous. Going into the room, I grab my gun before putting it in it's pouch on my back before turning around &amp; rushing back down the stairs into the living room.

"Jak," Spyro's voice calls out as I'm about to reach the door. Turning, I see him standing behind me, a small smile on his purple scaled face.

"Yeah, what is it?" I ask with slight concern, wanting to head back to the zoomer as quickly as possible, though not without respect in my voice.

"I'm just wondering what you're going to do for Meldalvyna's birthday, at the party &amp; all that Daxter mentioned yesterday," Spyro answers, the smile still on his snout, but the look of concern hidden in his lavendar eyes.

"Oh, I don't think we've really gone over that part yet, but I'm pretty sure we're going to have a normal kind of party; music, cake for Mel, &amp; I at least will give her a gift or two. Hey, what does she like, more than just art, fighting, &amp; racing stuff I mean?" I ask, taking this conversation as an opportunity to get her something she'd like besides what she told me already. Spyro's expression immediately goes to a thoughtful smile, his eyes closing just a little bit in cognition.

"She likes metal jewelry, not gems. She doesn't like the gems, because she feels like they'll break or scratch if she touches them... her mother's the same way," Spyro chuckles, a smile on his face, "she also likes those Muse things, those furry little creatures with the glittering feet &amp; sleek bodies."

"_She likes Muses... didn't really take her for the 'pet' type, but yet again we didn't exactly expect her to be a singer either_," Light says thoughtfully, a curious, slightly surprised tone to his voice.

"**Heh... I wonder how Daxter would react if we brought him along to get the Muse... I remember one of the times I was looking through Jak's memory, I Daxter slam the Muse into the pack &amp; button it shut**," Dark chuckles, an evil grin at the stolen memory in his voice.

"Huh, I'll remember those things... that makes around five things I could get her... I want to get her more things than that," I say with a slight grimace at the last part, feeling slightly guilty at my lack of knowing what she likes.

"What are the other three?" Spyro asks with a curious tone &amp; ALMOST prying grin on his face.

"If I tell you that, it won't be as big of a surprise," I reply with a smirk of my own, earning a chuckle &amp; grin from the purple dragon.

"Okay, that's all I wanted to know, see you when your group comes back with the news on the zoomer," Spyro says, the entertained smile still on his face, waiving me towards the door. With a nod, I head out of the house &amp; back towards the group, all of them looking ready &amp; anxious to go.

"We ready?" Torn says as Daxter hopps back on my shoulder, looking around, his gaze stopping &amp; staying on me for a second, as if he was scorning me for taking longer than he wanted me to. All of us nodding in agreement, Luke starts the zoomer &amp; pulls forward slowly, letting Hunter, Cole, &amp; Meldalvyna lead them forward, Meldalvyna standing the closest of that group to the zoomer. The rest of us form a small formation around the zoomer. Torn &amp; I stand closer to the back of the zoomer, while Carl stands next to Luke's leg on his left.

"Hey Jak, what took you so long?" Daxter asks as quietly as I've ever heard him speak from my shoulder, handing me my gun as we start on a path thick with trees &amp; multiple blind spots. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I look at each of the people in the group, pausing for a second or two on Meldalvyna.

"Spyro stopped me in the house as I was about to leave. He asked me about what was going to happen at the party for Mel's birthday. He then asked what I'm going to get her after I asked him about some things she likes," I reply quietly, making sure that the only other person who can hear me is Daxter. Nodding, he remains quiet as we continue on our way through the forrest towards the UniPortal.

"Huh, I honestly didn't even know that this was out here... you'd think that we would've found the UniPortal by now instead of just discovering it, us being the first people from Haven to see it," Carl says, his eyes down to his mapping instruments, the holographic screen of our path so far floating infront of him, another, still map glowing to the right of this one, showing the path the air-tran took to get to Meldalvyna's house.

"_You know, he has a point... it IS curious how the people of Haven City haven't already found the UniPortal yet. It'd have to have a lot of power in order to serve as a gateway between our world &amp; the Dragon world_," Light ponders, adding to Carl's voiced thoughts.

"**I wonder if it HAS already been found, &amp; our society just forgot about it... or maybe it can only be opened when beings from the Dragon world are near it... ya know, like how only the Seal of Mar can open certain doors in the Catacombs here in Haven, &amp; the Temples in the Wasteland**," Dark suggests, making a guess himself. Thinking it through, I find that both of their predictions could be correct.

"Hey Mel, could you sing a few songs? It is kinda creepy with it being so quiet for so long," Luke asks, a hopeful, yet completely sincere sound to his voice, everyone near him that isn't leading the group turning their heads to glance at him for a second before turning to look at Meldalvyna.

"Oh... I don't know... a lot of the songs I sing usually are duets with my mother &amp; stepdad, &amp; are in the some of the most ancient of Draconian words, that &amp; they usually have some instruments with them," Meldalvyna replies, a shy, yet slightly disappointed tone to her voice, glancing behind her at us for only a portion of a second. Sighing a little, I return my attention to the forrest around the path.

"What about... never mind," Luke begins only to shoot himself down, changing his mind when everyone glances distractedly at him, refocusing all his attention to driving the zoomer at a pace between 'not too slow' &amp; 'not too fast.'

"**I wonder how much longer until we'll be able to see the UniPortal**," Dark says, his voice a mixture of impatience &amp; curiosity. Not letting him know it, I silently agree with him, anxious to see the structure that is the UniPortal, curious as to what it looks like.

"_What if we can't go through, &amp; if we can, what will happen to us_?" Light asks, sudden concern in his voice, his tone bringing on a sense of dread. Looking around me, &amp; mostly at Meldalvyna, Hunter, &amp; Cole, I begin to feel my own mind descend into an emotion of worry. Looking into the forrest around us, I think about whether I should ask or not. Finally coming to a descision, I look towards the front of our congregation &amp; at Meldalvyna.

"Hey Mel, I don't want to sound impatient, but how much longer until the UniPortal is visible?" I ask, trying my best to not let my worry reach my voice. Apparently hearing the hiding distress in my voice, Meldalvyna's head turns to look at me, concern in her emerald green eyes.

"If I were flying, it'd take about five minutes from this point, but since we're walking, about another fifteen minutes," Meldalvyna answers with the concern now not only in her eyes, but slightly hidden in her voice. Nodding, I pause for a second to stare into the trees some more, negotiating with myself as to whether or not I should ask another question or save it for later. Deciding against the latter, I return my attention to Meldalvyna to find her no longer at the front of the group, but rather at my side, the worried expression still about her.

"What if we- I mean Torn, Luke, Carl, Daxter &amp; I- can't go through the UniPortal? But if we can, do you think anything would happen to us?" I ask in a whisper, making sure only Meldalvyna can hear me speak, leaning my head towards her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Daxter glance at me, a small glimmer of conscern in his eyes, before returning his attention to the surrounding woods.

"Well, it IS the UniPortal, the gateway between our worlds, made to allow both _**this world's **_inhabitants AND the _**Dragon realm's **_inhabitants back &amp; forth. We'll be fine, I'm sure... besides, I bring things from this side to the other side &amp; visa versa all the time," Meldalvyna answers in a whisper with a gentle, reassuring smile on her face, taking a second to give me a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to the front of our pack. Surely enough, fifteen minutes later, we all see the UniPortal, the giant, looming stone arch engraved with strange symbols &amp; images of Dragons on two columns beside it. I can't believe my eyes as we walk between two of three large crystals, each taller than any of us, one red, one green, &amp; one white.

**Author's Note:** Whew, chapter 46 is done, &amp; not too boring I guess! It definitely ended up being a bit more entertaining than last chapter, &amp; I have a funny little scene in my mind for next chapter (you'll know it when you see it... hopefully)! Meldalvyna got to be devious, we got to see Jak get WORRIED for once, &amp; we got to see the UniPortal all in one chapter, so I guess it's been the best one in a while! Anyways, I hoped you all liked the chapter, &amp; if you have any suggestions on how I can improve the story (or my spelling/grammar), just plainly liked the chapter, or see any typos, tell me so in a review or PM me! Anyhow, until next time, tigerdj98 signing out!


	47. Testing a Zoomer & a Comunication Device

**Author's Note:** Hello all &amp; welcome to chapter 47! Wow, to think this story is already so long, &amp; we have only JUST touched the adventure part of this story's two genres. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, 'cuz I have some plans for it, &amp; the coming ones!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Walking between two of the three familiar crystalline monoliths, one red, one green, &amp; one snow white, I smile at the scent of surprise &amp; wonder coming from everyone around us, except Hunter &amp; Cole respectfully. Stopping a few feet in front of the UniPortal, I turn around as everyone stops in front of me, though their attention was on the UniPortal &amp; crystals rather than on me.

"Huge, isn't it?" I ask, drawing everyone who hasn't seen the UniPortal before to me, everyone nodding in agreement. Hunter &amp; Cole look at the group, watching as they all gain thoughtful, curious expressions &amp; stances.

"What does the writing on the arch mean?" Carl asks, his eyes bouncing between me &amp; the UniPortal Gate, the look of curiosity written across his entire form. With a small smile, I give my head a small shake.

"The writing on the arch, or rather the UniPortal Gate, is in ancient Draconian, so old that not even my father's mentor Cyril can translate it. We'd probably have to have the Chronicler, my step dad's previous Fire Element teacher Ignitus, translate it," I answer, my reply seeming to sadden the young Freedom League pilot just a little.

"What about the crystals? What are their purpose?" Torn asks, his attention staying on me, his gaze never flicking to the two crystals that would be visible from his position even once.

"Their purpose is to activate the UniPortal Gate with each of their specific energies. The red crystal stands for healing &amp; protection, &amp; serves as the portion of the portal's ability to make sure you arrive or depart safe &amp; unchanged. The green crystal stands for power &amp; stability, &amp; serves as the part of the portal's idle power &amp; is what helps keep it standing. The white crystal is the most important, &amp; stands for purity, power, &amp; healing, &amp; serves as the main power source &amp; combines the power of the two other crystals," I answer, motioning with my hand at each of the giant crystals respectfully, everyone but Hunter &amp; Cole turning their heads to look where I'm pointing.

"What's with tha dragon on tha pillar on tha right an' the guy on tha pillar on the left?" Daxter asks, pointing to the columns with the statues stationed to the sides of the UniPortal Gate. Looking between them, I try to remember the explanation that Ignitus had given me the first time I too had seen the UniPortal, which had been the first &amp; last time I've seen him throughout my life so far.

"_What was their purpose... I know it had to do with instructions... but what was... Oh yeah, that's it_!" I exclaim mentally as I stare down the two statues, finally remembering what the New Age Chronicler had told me.

"They're a simple set of instructions. The side of the UniPortal that you're on is depicted by the column on the left of the UniPortal Gate, &amp; tells you which crystal of the two colored crystals you have to start with in order to go travel to the opposite side, which is depicted by the column on the right," I answer with a smile, Daxter nodding slowly, the look on his face telling everyone who could see his fuzzy orange mug that he was just beginning to understand the process.

"So, we'd start with the red crystal, right?" Luke asks from the one-seater zoomer, looking between the crystal, statue-occupying pillar, &amp; me, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes. Nodding in silent reply, I watch as Luke smiles happily, sending a single nod back to me.

"So, this entire thing is the UniPortal?" Daxter &amp; Torn ask at the same time, glancing at each other with a surprised look on their faces &amp; in their scents.

"Yes, this entire thing IS the UniPortal, it's just... spread out a little, so it's not activated all the time... Sorta a fail-safe against the Metalheads on this side, &amp; the average, slightly dangerous, wildlife on the other side," I answer the ottsel &amp; the Chief of Arms with a single nod &amp; a slight amused grin.

"Mel, how exactly do we 'activate' it?" Jak asks, drawing everyone's attention to him, only for them to turn to me, some of them nodding in agreement, also wondering the same thing.

"Well, that's the easiest part, all you have to do is touch all the crystals in the correct order- not at once mind you, that's physically impossible, even for a dragon- &amp; allow yourself to become a circuit for each of the crystals' energies for about 10 seconds. The only trick is that you need to make sure that the entire group you're traveling with touches each crystal as well, or else they'll just pass through the UniPortal Gate's energy field without going to the Dragon Realms. And for the record, you don't have to make sure anything that you're touching has to touch the crystals. As long as you were touching it while you touched the crystals, it'll come through, "I answer, smiling at all of them as their eyes fill with wonder.

"So, are we all ready to travel to our destination?" Hunter asks with a smile on his face, his voice immediately grabbing everyone's attention. Everyone begins to nod or simply say 'yeah' in suppressed excitement, trying to keep a cool head.

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's get there!" Cole says with an excited shout, everyone heading toward the red crystal &amp; gathering in a circle around it, Luke riding the zoomer up to crystal &amp; remaining on the vehicle as he gets ready. Standing between Jak &amp; Hunter, I wrap my hand around Jak's as he lays his opposite hand against the red crystal's surface, I following suit a second later. Closing my eyes, I relax, allowing the familiar energy pass through my body, all the excess travelling back into the crystal. Ten seconds later, I open my eyes to see everyone else removing their hands at the same time I am, looking between each other with bewildered, amazed expressions on their faces.

Hunter leads the pack to the green crystal, all of us again gathering around the monolithic crystal. Rewrapping my hand around Jak's, this time between Jak &amp; Cole, we again all relax our hands against the giant crystal, allowing its energy to flow into &amp; through us. This time I watch Jak as the ten seconds go by, his eyes closed, a small smile on his face, his pleasure-filled scent making it obvious he liked the feeling the crystal gave him. Once the ten seconds ends, I retract my hand from the crystal's surface, Jak's eyes opening, the smile still on his face as he looks at me.

"I take it you like it?" I ask with a small smirk, a chuckle &amp; nod being Jak's only response as we head to the final crystal, the snow white one, to transmit our stored energies from the two other crystals into the one. Gathering around the final crystal, we all look at each other as we lay our hands on the crystal, everyone around me that I can see keeping their eyes open as they watch in awe as green &amp; red hues leak from their hand into the body of the pure white crystal, quickly gathering towards the top of the crystal &amp; becoming a blinding mass of light before shooting out of the crystal towards the center of the UniPortal Gate ten seconds later.

"Woah," Torn says, looking at the now glowing energy held in the archway of the UniPortal Gate, the glowing mass a mixture of beautiful reds &amp; greens with splashes of white, mixing as if someone were lazily mixing it, the colors swirling, but never combining.

"Well, time for your first trip in the Dragon Realms," I say with a smile, gaining everyone's attention. Following Hunter &amp; Cole, I lead my group to the UniPortal Gate. Pausing altogether, we all look up at the massive structure that is the archway. Looking back at me, Hunter &amp; Cole nod before walking through the UniPortal Gate's energy field, disappearing into the Dragon Realms.

"What is the condition of the ground on the other side of the UniPortal? So we know what we're dealing with," Carl asks, looking at me with a slight look of concern on his face. Lifting a brow in curiosity as to why he'd ask a question like that, I try to remember what the weather is like this time of year in the Dragon Realms.

"Well... oh man, I just realized it's winter over there, which means it's going to be hot, but to answer your question, it's on top of a small incline, not at all steep, in a forest on dry land," I answer, looking at the UniPortal Gate with a slight sigh, not enjoying the thought of being stuck in Haven City winter clothes in the Dragon Realms's hot winter sun.

"Wait, you said it's hot over there right now... how can it be hot in tha middle of winter?" Daxter asks, just as I turn back around to fully face the UniPortal Gate. Turning around again, I sigh a little, opening my mouth to answer, only for Jak to do so for me.

"The Dragon Realms &amp; our planet used to be one, huge planet. Well, that is until the Father of Dragons separated the one large planet into two, leaving the UniPortal as the one remaining link between the two. So I guess the Dragon Realms got what would've been the opposite hemisphere of the planet," Jak says in a single go, taking in a deep breath a second later. Nodding my thanks to Jak, who nods back with a smile on his face, I return my attention attention to the group standing in front of me.

"And with that, we're ready to go, right?" I ask, not wanting to make this take any longer than it should. Recieving nods from everyone as my answer, I turn around to face the UniPortal Gate with a smile, feeling Jak's hand wrap around my own. Looking at him, he motions with his chin towards the energy field, an encouraging, excited smile on his own face, Daxter smiling as well from his perch on Jak's shoulder. My smile growing, I gently lead Jak by the hand towards the UniPortal Gate, the group following us through the energy field. Blinking, I let my eyes adjust to the sudden bright, winter sunlight trickling through the sparse tree leaves, taking a deep breath &amp; taking in the scent of the familiar fresh air. Glancing over to Jak, I can't help but hold in a happy chuckle at his &amp; Daxter's amazed looks on their faces, Daxter's being the one making me want to laugh, his jaw dropped as he looks around.

"Uh, guys...," I hear Luke say from somewhere above me, the sound of surprised worry in his voice. Looking up, I see Luke staring down at us from fifteen feet above.

**Jak's POV**

"How'd you get up there?" Meldalvyna asks, looking up somewhere above us. Turning my attention to the skies, I catch sight of Luke, sitting on the zoomer about fifteen feet above us, a slightly concerned expression on his face as he looks back down at us through the gap between his elbow &amp; chest.

"Did you switch it out of hover?" I shout up to Luke, not thinking at all about the concerned look on his face, or the fact that he sounded worried by his call of attention to him.

"No... I guess the zoomer works," he replies with a laugh, the concerned look still on his face. Chuckling as he begins to drive the zoomer around, putting into manual hover control &amp; bringing it closer to the ground, I shake my head &amp; shrug when Meldalvyna looks at me with a confused expression.

"I guess we could test the air-tran next, see how it works over here," Carl says with a smile as Luke parks (somewhat) the zoomer next to him, smiling down at him. Everyone agreeing with the strawberry-blond, Meldalvyna &amp; I turn around, about to start walking toward the UniPortal's crystals to reactivate the UniPortal Gate.

"_You're forgetting something Jak_," Light says with a long tone to his voice, seeming to draw it out, letting me figure out what I was forgetting on my own.

"Oh yeah, we should probably test the comm. units over here before we leave, to see if they work," I suggest to everyone, Meldalvyna's face turning to an expression of almost exaggerated remembrance.

"**There ya go Jak, you dumb ass**," Dark says with an amused chuckle, not really insulting me, just laughing at my forgetfulness. Holding back the urge to shake my head &amp; a smirk at his remark, I pull out my communicator.

"Hold out, let me get out my communicator unit," Meldalvyna says as she digs into one of the pockets on the wing-cover of her false cloak, taking out the device a second later &amp; turning the screen on. Turning &amp; walking a few feet away, she turns back around &amp; looks at me with an expectant expression, &amp; I get the message that she is expecting me to try to contact her. Scrolling through my contacts on the comm. unit, I find Meldalvyna's name &amp; select it.

"Yes!" Daxter shouts in my ear, watching as the communicator makes the connection, Meldalvyna looking at me with a smile on her face as she answers the communicator unit.

"Hey Jak," Meldalvyna says through the speakers of my device clear as day, &amp; I can't help but smile at the success of our little experiment, everyone else around Meldalvyna &amp; me smiling &amp; giving off small cheers of joy.

"Hey Mel," I reply through the comm. unit with a laugh of happiness. Looking at the human-dragon hybrid, I watch as she presses a button on her communicator, the call on my end cutting off in the strange static that signifies an ended connection. Strutting towards me with long, purposeful strides, Meldalvyna doesn't slow her pace as she walks straight into me, wrapping an arm around my back &amp; surprising me with a passionate kiss, a smile on her face &amp; her hand on the back of my head.

"We should probably test the connection on both sides next," Torn says with an amused shake of his head after we part, a smile on everyone's face. Looking up towards the column on the left of the UniPortal Gate, I notice that the crystal corresponding to the dragon statue is red, just like the human statue on the opposite side.

"I'll go back, so you can stay with the group here, in case anything happens," I suggest, my voice catching Meldalvyna's attention, she also looking at the two pillars, a thoughtful expression on her face. Turning her gaze to me, she looks into my eyes before glancing around at the others, a scrutinizing half-frown on her face.

"You should probably bring one other person- besides Daxter- just in case Metalheads are anywhere near. My family has been attacked almost immediately after passing through the UniPortal Gate before," Meldalvyna says, her half-frown becoming whole, looking at me with concern in her eyes. Nodding, I turn &amp; look at the group, waiting for someone to step forward. Walking forward with a smile &amp; a nod, Carl stands by my side, earning a nod of approval from Meldalvyna.

"I'll call you as soon as I get over there," I say, reassuring Meldalvyna as the worried frown creases her lips downward again, kissing her lightly on her cheek before stepping away &amp; towards the giant red crystal, Carl glancing back towards Luke before following suit. Joining me at the red crystal, I give a signaling glance towards Carl, who nods back in return, setting our hands on the crystal simultaneously. Closing my eyes, I relax as I feel the energy of the crystal course through me, it's relaxing current bringing a pleased smile to my face.

"_This power is unlike Eco, yet it is similar. It feels ancient, older than Eco almost_," Light sighs in amazed thought, enjoying the feeling of the power going through us as well. Smirking, I pull my hand away, the ten seconds over with. Opening my eyes, I look over to see a smile on Carl's face as well as he starts to head over to the green crystal. Standing next to the crystal, I look over &amp; wait for the signal from the transport zoomer pilot. Recieving the approving nod, I rest my hand against the surface of the crystal &amp; close my eyes again.

"**Forget about it 'feeling ancient', it feels good, whatever the damn it is**," Dark says with a small growl, what I'm guessing is a purr, the thought of it possibly being such a gentle sound such as that making me chuckle a little. Shaking my head, I open my eyes &amp; pull my hand away, ten seconds having passed already. Walking over to the final crystal, I look up towards the top of the monolithic crystal, trying to see what could be at the top. Giving it up a second later, I place my hand on the crystal's surface- making sure it was at the same time as Carl- &amp; relaxing, closing my eyes a third &amp; final time in a row.

"I wonder if our Eco &amp; the dragons' Elements are related," I think to myself quietly, not getting any sort of response from my two Eco alters, the both of them relaxing to the energetic flow. Opening my eyes after ten seconds &amp; pulling my hand away, I look over to the UniPortal Gate &amp; see its energy field reactivated, the sea of shimmering greens, reds, &amp; whites swimming with gentle motion, like the surface of an idle lake stirred by soft breezes.

Glancing behind me, I give one last wave to Meldalvyna before turning &amp; walking to (&amp; through) the energy field of the UniPortal Gate, coming out on the other side as if I had only went another foot forward, the only indicator of travelling such a great distance being the sudden cold &amp; the change of scenery. Shuddering at the blast of immediate cold, I don't waste a single second, pulling out my comm. unit &amp; scrolling through the contacts, clicking on Meldalvyna's the moment I see it. Waiting for what seemed like eternity, listening to the call waiting tone the entirety of two seconds, I almost shout in joy when I hear the tone signalling her answering her communicator.

"Jjjjjjaaa- Jjjjjaaakkkkk cccaaa ooo earrr mechhhhh?" the speakers on the communicator unit blare at me, my joy deflating almost immediately to the sound of Meldalvyna's scratchy voice, distorted by static originating in the who-knows-how-long distance of the call. In the back of my mind, I hear Light &amp; Dark give off exclamations of despair, not liking the fact that her voice came in so poorly as much as I did.

"Mel, can you hear me?" I say quickly, my voice carrying a small quiver, trying my best not to let the worry slip into my voice, &amp; failing miserably, wincing a little at the sound of the obvious concern in my voice, not wanting Meldalvyna to sadden because of it.

"Jak, I'm just messing with you!" Meldalvyna laughs through the device's speakers a second later as clear as day, evidently hearing the worry in my voice. Feeling like I just got smacked upside the back of my head, I can't help but laugh at my own gullibility, thinking back on how her voice sounded when she first answered &amp; realizing that she had been faking it. Letting myself calm down, I take a deep breath before I answer her, &amp; allow my heart beat to level, not because I'm angry, but because of the extreme amount of worry I had been feeling before.

"Okay, we'll be back in there in a minute," I say with a relieved smile on my face.

"No, we'll head over there, we need to get the air-tran anyway. See you in a sec'," Meldalvyna says before hanging up, a smile in her voice. With a small chuckle, I stash the comm. unit back in my pack &amp; begin waiting. A minute later, I watch as the energy field of the UniPortal Gate reactivate, Meldalvyna, Torn, Luke, &amp; Daxter coming through the Gate a second later, Daxter riding on Meldalvyna's shoulder &amp; Luke on his zoomer, a grin on the dragon-human hybrid's face as her eyes land on mine.

"So, we ready to go get the transport zoomer &amp; see if it works just as well?" I ask everyone as they come to a stop in front of Carl &amp; I. Everyone nodding, I turn &amp; lead the way back to the house. The entire walk goes in relative silence, the only sound breaking the quiet being Daxter's incessant &amp; tone-deaf humming of a random, nameless tune. About a half hour later, the back of Meldalvyna's home is visible, with the hand-made pond not too far away. Looking near the edge of the pond, I see Cynder sitting on the giant stone bench, looking into the water as if she was staring at a photograph. Glancing up a second later, obviously having heard us approaching her.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Cynder says with a forced smile &amp; optimistic tone, a barely noticeable sad glimmer to her eyes. Forcing myself to smile instead of frown in concern for my love's mother, I quicken my stride towards her, a question in mind.

"**Huh, I wonder why she's upset. Do you think we should ask her what's up**?" Dark asks with a tone of actual worry &amp; sympathy, the sound of the emotions in his voice surprising, I only having heard it only a few times ever from him.

"It went great, the single-seater worked much better than expected. Actually, we're coming over to grab the air-tran to see how well it works. Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?" I ask Cynder, leading everyone around the pond &amp; up to the huge bench, I taking a seat next to the tall female dragon.

"_I don't think we should ask her. The expression on her face reminds me of what we look like when we happen to catch our reflection after we think about our past in the prison_," Light answers Dark as Cynder raises a brow-ridge to my question, his tone sympathetic as well. In the back of my mind, I hear Dark hum in thought &amp; agreement.

"What is that you want from me?" Meldalvyna's mother asks me with a small, yet genuine, smirk, curiosity in her voice replacing the earlier faux happiness. With a grin of my own, I stand from my seat so I can face her fully.

"I was wondering if you would like to help us with testing the transport zoomer, just in case it doesn't work," I answer gently, allowing the grin to grow into a full, soft smile. With a smile on her scaled face, she stands from her seat on the bench &amp; steps off of the stone seat.

"Sure, anything to get out of this cold &amp; have something to do. Let me just tell Spyro what's going on first," Cynder says, turning &amp; walking down the path towards the house. Turning to the group behind me, I smile &amp; give them the signal to follow Cynder to the front of the house to retrieve the air-tran.

**Author's Note:** Well, the chapter's over, &amp; I've decided to leave it off leading up to another part of the story for next time! I hope you all liked the chapter, &amp; if you liked the story, saw a few typos I may have missed, or have a few tips, please, PM or review, I WANT TO KNOW HOW TO BETTER IMPROVE MY WRITING &amp; YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE STORY! Until next time, tigerdj98 signing out, peace!


	48. A Song for Sky Pirates & an Air-Tran

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone, &amp; welcome to chapter 48! So, this chapter is going to be a bit different than the others (I think you could tell by the title though), since this one... you know what, I'm not going to ruin it for you guys, you'll just have to get to that part yourself! Other than that, enjoy!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Sure, anything to get out of this cold &amp; have something to do. Let me just tell Spyro what's going on first," Cynder says, turning &amp; walking down the path towards the house. Turning to us, Jak smiles &amp; gives us the signal to follow my mother to the front of the house to retrieve the air-tran. Walking the short path to the front of the building, we wait for the dragoness to return outside, sitting on the benches inside the transport zoomer. A little less than a minute later, both Spyro &amp; Cynder exit the house, closing the door behind them.

"Spyro, you're coming too? What about the house?" Jak asks, the sound of slight concern in his voice, probably thinking about the possibility of Metalheads ransacking the home while we're away.

"Sparx is watching over the house... he's tougher &amp; a better fighter than he looks," my step dad responds with a confident smile, Jak nodding in understanding a second later.

"Hey, how do we want to get to the UniPortal this time? Most of us can fit in the air-tran. To keep the trip safer &amp; not take as long I mean," Torn says, suggesting that everyone who can fit in the air-tran ride inside the transport zoomer while Spyro &amp; Cynder fly along side it.

"We'll lead the way by air if you like, even race you if you want," my mother says with a smirk, Jak perking up at the word 'race', the look on his face making it obvious that he was considerring it as a definite possibility.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm not too sure that's a good idea. With the air-tran being full of people &amp; what not," Carl says softly, Cynder gently smiling at the young pilot with a light chuckle, signaling that she was only joking.

"You know, I kinda feel like flying myself. I haven't flown in a while," I say, walking out of the air-tran &amp; next to my parents, earning a strangely sad glance from Jak. Looking at him &amp; raising a brow, I silently ask him what's wrong.

"I just... I can't fly with you- well, Light can't fly with you for very long, he's not that strong in flight, yet, so I'd- he'd- ugh, we'd fall behind or simply plummet all of a sudden" Jak says softly, turning his head towards the forest's edge in slight embarassment, suddenly finding something entertaining in the dark brush &amp; branches. Spyro's &amp; Cynder's head turn sideways a little, a curious expression on their face as they look between Jak &amp; me.

"You can try at least. Cynder &amp; I haven't met Light yet, &amp; we wouldn't mind going a bit slower for you... we'll catch you if you start to fall as well," Spyro says before I can even open my mouth in response to what Jak admitted. I simply nod, my step father taking my only idea of what to tell Jak.

"Okay, then it's settled, you guys lead the way, &amp; the rest of us will follow you in here," Luke says while walking towards the front of the transport zoomer- closely followed by Carl- my mother &amp; step father bending their necks downward to look inside the vehicle with a curious eye, the scent of wonder coming off of them.

"Alrigh' then! Let's get this show on tha road- err- sky," Daxter says with an excited smile, jumping off of Jak's shoulder &amp; onto mine, nearly throwing me off balance &amp; to the ground in the sudden weight, catching me by surprise.

"Hey, Cynder, Spyro... if ya don't mind, can I ride on one of yer shoulders or backs or somethin'?" Daxter suddenly asks from my shoulder, his question making both of my parents grin a little in amusement.

"Well, I don't see why not. I mean, Sparx used to do it all the time, &amp; we had to do that for Mel before she could fly... Hop on &amp; hang on tight while I fly," Spyro says with a smirk, motioning for Daxter to come over with an idle shrug of his shoulder &amp; nod of his head. Daxter smirks happily as he hops from my shoulder to my step dad's back, situating himself between the orange &amp; yellow ridges on his back just behind his wings.

"Jak, are you going to let Spyro &amp; Cynder meet Light or what?" I ask with a smile, Jak nodding quickly with a swift series of steps towards my parents &amp; me out of the air-tran. With a deep breath once he reaches us, Jak closes his eyes &amp; allows Light to come forth, his entire body glowing a bright pastel blue with equally blue, tentacle-looking wings of Eco sprouting from his back. A deep exhale can be heard exiting his mouth as his lips part slightly in a peaceful expression, opening his glowing white eyes as he breathes out.

"_Hello Spyro, hello Cynder. It is nice to finally be able to meet you_," Light greets while holding out his hand, his less abused version of Jak's voice (since his is so rough) taking my parents off guard, both of them blinking a few times in surprise before they- in turn- take his hand &amp; shake it returning his greeting.

"Let's get going so we can make the most out of your energy, Light," Cynder says as she stretches her wings out &amp; giving her head a small shake, preparing for flight, everyone's eyes widening but my own at just how large my mother's wingspan is. Light nods, &amp; everyone who doesn't have wings enters the transport zoomer.

"Again, hang on, tight," Spyro says over his shoulder to Daxter as he crouches into take-off position, Daxter nodding. Taking his nod as a signal to go, we all leap into the air, Daxter giving off a short scream of surprise, Light straggling behind only slightly.

"Remember what I told you Light at the track all those days ago, scoop with your wings &amp; spread them out wide, relax &amp; parallel with the direction you wish to go, like you're swimming using only your wings" I call out from behind him as he begins to have trouble, reminding him of our go around the track when Keira tested my speed of flight (though it wasn't as fast as I could go). I watch as he takes my word, his rhythm improving to steady &amp; powerful downward strokes.

"There you go, that's it!" Spyro congratulates with a happy yell from above Light, looking down at him with a smile, Daxter cautiously doing the same from the purple dragon's shoulder with a broad grin. Light simply grins back up at the two, the scent of building excitement as he begins to climb upwards, even gaining speed as he does so, I beginning to fly next to him as he picks up speed. Hearing the engines of the air-tran start &amp; whirr to life below me, I catch up with Light.

"You know, if you watch us, you'll learn what to do as well, like how Cynder is flying like she is," I say as I fly closer to him &amp; slightly above him as we fly out above the tallest trees in our yard, motioning with my hand at my mother's hovering form, her body vertical while her wings still parallel with the ground. Glancing at me for only a second, Light nods with a grin on his face, his scent telling me he was straining a little, but still having fun.

"Come on, I'll lead, Spyro, you stay above Light &amp; Meldalvyna, you stay at his side, the air-tran can fly where it pleases," Cynder says once Spyro reaches her level, Light &amp; I nodding in agreement. Leveling out &amp; beginning the slightly slower than normal flight (for Light's sake) towards the UniPortal, the transport zoomer flying on Light's opposite side. Looking over Light's body &amp; towards the vehicle, which in turn causes Light to look over as well, I see Carl waive at us through the windsheild of the air-tran, &amp; I can't help but to waive back with a laugh, Light waiving as well.

"Light, when we get to the landing area, remember to first slow down &amp; get closer to the ground before starting to scoop backwards &amp; bring your feet out," I say Light once the pillars of the UniPortal come into clear sight, Light having only faultered once or twice on the way. Glancing at me for a second, Light nods with what I believe was a determined look on his face, his glowing skin &amp; eyes making it hard for me to determine facial expressions, before returning his attention to the approaching UniPortal. Slowly but surely, we approach the UniPortal. Cynder glances back at us with a smirk on her face once we reach the beginning of the landing area before doing a barrel-roll dive, quickly cutting downward &amp; doing another barrel-roll to level out with the ground &amp; slowing down to a gentle landing.

"I'm glad I'm not on her shoulder" I hear Daxter say to Spyro above us, causing the purple dragon to laugh at the ottsel's statement. Nodding in agreement, I chuckle a little as well, knowing very well that there aren't many hand holds on my mother's back or shoulders from my days of learning how to fly.

"_So slow down &amp; get closer to the ground, then get into landing position by scooping backwards with my wings, right_?" Light asks as we too begin to descend, taking the longer alternative to landing, circling around the landing area.

"Exactly," I answer as we approach the ground, Light following my earlier instruction &amp; slowing down. Watching him out of the corner of my eye, I make sure Light starts to scoop backwards with his wings at just the right time, smiling slightly as he finds his legs naturally swinging out beneath him to land, slowing his downstrokes to come to a soft-ish landing.

"We'll work on landings &amp; take-offs later," I say with laugh as the transport zoomer comes to a low hover next to us, the back hatch opening &amp; allowing its passengers out, Light laughing a little as well &amp; nodding. Luke comes running out last &amp; straight towards Cynder, the look of excitement on his face &amp; the scent of awe trailing after him.

"Miss Cynder, that dive you pulled was AWESOME!" Luke shouts in excitement once he reaches her, coming to a stop just infront of her, his sudden appearance making her jump a little.

"Thank you, Luke. I race a little in Warfang, &amp; I use that trick among many others to stay in the lead. Meldalvyna is about the only other person who has even the slightest chance at catching up with me, since I taught her most of my tricks after she became a good enough flier for them," Cynder says with an appreciative smile on her face, redirecting the hyper pilot towards me.

"That's AWESOME!" Luke says, turning towards me &amp; doing a single arm fist-pump. Taking his gaze from me, he freezes for a second, looking at something next to me. Turning my head, I realize that Luke is looking at Light.

"You know, to tell you the truth, I've never seen you or Jak's Dark side," Luke says softly, bowing his head slightly, the scent of reverence coming off of the pilot.

"_I'd expect not. Jak does not like to 'let us out' around people very often_," Light replies with a soft smile &amp; a slight nod, crossing his arms behind his back. Suddenly, Light shudders &amp; his bright glowing colors fade a little before coming back to full brightness.

"_It seems Jak is calling for control. I shall see you all again later when we must head back_," Light says after taking a deep breath. Nodding, we all waive goodbye, I giving the Light Eco alter a small peck on the cheek before stepping away &amp; giving him his space to depart, he staring after me with the smell of surprise rampant in his scent. With one last glance to all of us, Light lets his control loose to Jak, his bright, glowing body turning tan &amp; his wings retreating into his back. A second later, he opens his eyes, Jak's blue orbs replacing the burning white torches of Light's.

**Jak's POV**

Opening my eyes, I take a deep breath as I find myself at the center of the UniPortal. Looking around, I see everyone staring at me, everyone who had ridden in the transport zoomer still near the vehicle. Blinking a few times, I swear I can hear someone humming somewhere near, but I shake my head &amp; let it slip from my mind.

"Oh man, I didn't think MY shoulders would end up hurting from Light flying all the way here," I hiss, rolling my shoulders only to receive a shock of pain near my shoulder blades, the pain deep &amp; sore, already knowing it'll be a while before they'll feel better.

"Light did very well, he only faultered a little at first &amp; once or twice when there was a gust, but other than that, he became a much better flier with only a little instruction," Cynder says from behind me, surprising me a little, I not knowing she had been behind me until she spoke.

"Thanks, I guess," I say with a small chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck, my shoulder protesting the movement violently.

"Jak, your arm is shaking," Meldalvyna says from my left, worry in her voice. Looking at her, I can only grin as I drop my arm to my side, my shoulder screaming at me for the sudden &amp; quick movement.

"Yeah, I guess the flight was hard on that area... first time I've ever felt sore after something Light did though, which is weird. Never realized that he actually uses the muscles in that area to fly," I laugh sheepishly, wanting to bring my hand up to the back of my neck, but not wanting to hurt my shoulders any more than I had too.

"Well, then tha flight back is gonna suck," Daxter says, walking out of the air-tran infront of me &amp; up to a few feet before me. My eyes widening, I look over to Meldalvyna &amp; her family with a distressed look, only for them to chuckle back at me.

"The best way to learn how to fly quickly is to fly until you can't even lift yourself off the ground, or at least that's how I learned. Light said he was willing to make the flight back before you took control again," Meldalvyna says with a smirk, causing my distress to only grow. With a shake of her head, she turns her attention to the group near the transport zoomer, a question on her features.

"So, how do you plan on getting that through the UniPortal?" Spyro asks before Meldalvyna can, the young female dragon looking at her step father with a bit of surprise before nodding in agreement.

"I'll touch the crystals while having this thing in auto-hover," Carl says, making everyone but Luke jump, no one having heard him spoke since we left the house. Everyone nodds in understanding before turning towards the first crystal &amp; walking towards it (except for Carl, who is driving the air-tran). Gathering around the crystal &amp; placing our hands on its smooth surface, I close my eyes &amp; relax, feeling my sore back muscles seem to unwind &amp; feel better at the crystal's power.

"**There is that humming again**," Dark says, catching the tune in the air again, "**I wonder what song it is... it's very pretty, sad almost... it's coming from our right**."

Opening my eyes after ten seconds of my hand on the crystal, I immediately look to my right to see three possibilities: Meldalvyna, who is also looking to her right; Cynder, who is looking at the crystal's surface with a distant smile; &amp; Spyro, who too is looking at his wife.

"**I'm guessing it was Cynder... since everyone seems to be staring at her**," Dark says, also noticing everyone looking at the older female dragon in our group. Shaking my head, I ignore the strangeness of hearing Meldalvyna's mother humming an admittedly beautiful mystery song, I not recognizing the tune. Without another thought or word from Dark or anyone else, we all head over to the next crystal &amp; repeat our process, my sore muscles relaxing a bit more, &amp; this time the humming a bit more noticeable as well. Opening my eyes, I see more people looking in Cynder's direction, she still humming the tune, but seemingly quieter than when we had our attention on the crystal.

"Last crystal everyone, then it's time to head through. Let's hope this thing works," Torn says with a grim expression &amp; tone, his eyes locked on Cynder's retreating form, she heading towards the snow white crystal. Following her lead, I walk to the crystal, this time making sure I stand right next to Meldalvyna's mother, Meldalvyna on my opposite side. Closing my eyes &amp; setting my hand on the crystal, I listen closely, trying to place the tune. Opening my eyes ten seconds later without success, I follow the group towards the UniPortal Gate, glancing at Cynder when I can hear her humming, crossing through the threshold &amp; into the Dragon Realms.

"It works!" Luke cheers, looking upwards towards the high-hovering air-tran with a smile on his face. Everyone gives off a small whoop, happy for our slim-lucked success. Again, I hear Cynder's humming, &amp; I can't help but turn towards her, allowing my curious thoughts express themselves on my face.

"**You should ask her what she's humming, so we don't have to wonder about it any more**," Dark suggests, a shrug evident in his voice. Agreeing with him, I turn to face her fully, Cynder's eyes still on the transport zoomer, a distant smile on her face like before, still humming the harmonious tune.

"Cynder, you're humming," Spyro says with a curious tone, beating me to the punch, his voice bringing Meldalvyna's mother out of her obviously pleasant reverie. Blinking several times, she looks at us, realizing that we had all heard her hum.

"Oh, sorry... Bringing this here, &amp; seeing it sailing so high in the air reminds me of the time I spent on Captain Skabb's ship for some odd reason," Cynder says, a- what I'm guessing is- sheepish grin on her face, her eyes back on the air-tran.

"Really? Why?" Spyro asks, his, &amp; everyone elses, even Carl, who is sitting on the back hatch of the transport zoomer, listening in from his higher vantage point. Finding everyone watching her so intently, Cynder sighs, a small, shy half-smile on her face.

"I don't know why... but I remember a few days before I pretended to fight you in the Fellmuth Arena, there was an old Ape woman who would come by my quarters &amp; would sing the song I was just while sweeping the deck. It was such a beautiful, sad song that it got stuck in my mind. I guess this just reminded me of it," Cynder replies, her eyes closed &amp; her face towards the sun, a reminiscent smile on her face. Riasing an eyebrow, I try to remember her telling me of Captain Skabb that day she took me to the pond where we exchanged our life stories for trust, not recalling a single mention of this mystery person.

"I don't remember the tune. I know it's asking a lot, but do you mind singing it?" Spyro asks with a soft grin &amp; a hopeful, almost begging tone, Cynder's -as well as all the other inhabitants of our group- eyes widening a little in surprise, our eyes staring between the dragon couple. With a smile &amp; a sigh of defeat, she nods &amp; looks at us, taking a deep breath while closing her eyes, most likely trying to remember the words to the song.

"Upon one summer's morning; I carefully did stray; down by the walls of wapping; where I met a sailor gay."

"Conversing with a young lass; who seem'd to be in pain; saying 'William, when you go I fear you'll ne'er return again'."

"My heart is pierced by Cupid; I disdain all glittering gold; there is nothing can console me; but my jolly sailor bold."

Cynder's tone soft yet powerful voice sings, I staring in amazement at the beautiful, mournful melody of the song ringing from her throat, her voice capturing the sound of the forrest around us &amp; silencing it.

"His fur it hangs in ringlets; his eyes as black as coal; my happiness attend him; wherever he may go."

"From Munitions Forge to Tall Plains; I'll wander, weep, &amp; moan; All for my jolly sailor; until he sails home."

"My heart is pierced by Cupid; I disdain all glittering gold; there is nothing can console me; but my jolly sailor bold."

Cynder's eyes remain closed as she continues to sing, all of us captivated by the now obvious tragic love song, her voice still soft &amp; sad, seeming to reverberate off of the trees around us &amp; hum with the melody.

"My father is a merchant; a truth I now will tell; and in great Warfang City; in oppulence doth dwell."

"His fortune doth exceed; three hundred thousand gold; and he frowns upon his daughter; who loves a sailor bold."

"A fig for his riches; his merchandise &amp; gold; true love has grafted my heart; give me my sailor bold."

"My heart is pierced by Cupid; I disdain all glittering gold; there is nothing can console me; but my jolly sailor bold."

The song continues, going from a tragic love song, to one whose words speak of slight selfishness &amp; almost cruel, though still remaining sad, soft, &amp; powerful. Suddenly, I realize I had taken a seat on the ground without my noticing, everyone else around me in similar positions on the ground (except for maybe Carl in the air-tran, but I didn't want to look away to see what he is doing for fear of missing something important).

"Should he return in pov'rty; from o'er the ocean far; to my tender bosom; I'll press my jolly tar."

"My sailor is as smiling; as the pleasant month of May; and often we have wandered; through Avalar Way."

"Many a pretty blooming; young girl we did behold; reclining on the bosom; of her jolly sailor bold."

"My heart is pierced by Cupid; I disdain all glittering gold; there is nothing can console me; but my jolly sailor bold."

Cynder continues to sing, the song talking of the supposed writer's travels with her lover, &amp; how she would care for her 'jolly sailor' through thick &amp; thin, the message of the song beginning to unravel itself in my mind. Feeling Meldalvyna's hand wrap around my own, I glance through my peripheral at her, a distant, almost sad smile on her face as she squeezes my hand.

"My name it is Maria; a merchant's daughter fair; and I have left my parents; and three thousand gems a year."

"Come all you pretty fair maids; whoever you may be; who love a jolly sailor; that plows the raging sea."

"While up aloft in storm; from me his absense mourn; and firmly pray arrive the day he's never more to roam."

"My heart is pierced by Cupid; I disdain all glittering gold; there is nothing can console me; but my jolly sailor bold."

"My heart is pierced by Cupid; I disdain all glittering gold; there is nothing can console me; but my jolly sailor bold."

Cynder lets the final note of the repeated last line fade from her throat, dropping her chin to point it towards the ground, her eyes finally opening a second later as she raises her head to look at Spyro with a loving smile on her face. Giving my head a clearing shake, I look around to see everyone still watching her with intent, almost blank expressions on their faces, still lost in the now haulted tune.

"**Well, I knew the song sounded sad, but damn, I didn't think it'd be about a girl losing her guy to the sea**," Dark says softly, having also been captivated by the older female dragon's song. Holding back the urge to nod or make any other movement of agreement to Dark's statement, I stand up from the grass, pulling Meldalvyna along with me, a sad smile on both of our faces, being the first to come out of the trance Cynder's song put us all into.

"That was a very beautiful song, mom. I wish I knew songs that pretty," Meldalvyna says softly, her hand giving mine a small squeeze as she looks at her mother with a soft, respectful &amp; admiring smile. Cynder nods with a thankful smile of her own before relaxing all the way onto the ground, laying down in the cool grass with a soft thud, Spyro shaking his head with a disbelieving smile on his face before joining his wife on the ground next to her. Turning to Meldalvyna, I grin as I pull her back down to the grass with me a few feet away from her parents, laying down in the grass as well, Meldalvyna snuggling up against my side as everyone else just sits &amp; enjoys the warmth of the Dragon Realm's summer sun.

**Author's Note:** See, I told you this one would be different! For any fans of the movie I referenced with the song: Yes, that WAS my adapted version of the song "My Jolly Sailor Bold" from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", &amp; I hope you liked how I changed it to fit the story! Anyways, I hope you readers didn't find the beginning _too_ boring compared to the rest of the chapter... My original plan was to have the song "Hoist the Colours" in this chapter sung by both Cynder AND Spyro, but once I heard this song, I knew this was the one to go with! Until next time, tigerdj98 signing off!


	49. Waiting for Return & Evil Plans

**Author's Note:** Hello all &amp; welcome to chapter 49 of "Of Two Worlds!" I hope you all enjoyed last chapter, especially the last part where Cynder sang. I really want to know what you readers thought of that part, &amp; I want to know if you all think I should do it again some time. Other than that, I would like to thank my current reviewers, favorite-ers, &amp; followers (you all know who you are) for the support you guys have given me through PMs &amp; reviews -even the few I have make me smile &amp; want to write more. Times are getting tough for me, so I hope I'll be able to keep up with my life out of fanfiction &amp; keep on entertaining you all!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

Resting in the cool, long &amp; green grass on the ground in the warm summer weather of the Dragon Realms, Meldalvyna snuggling against my side, at peace from Cynder's sad &amp; beautiful love song. Lazily glancing to my side, I see the rest of our group -save Carl, who is above me in the air-tran- reclining in the comfortable, blissful caress of this new environment's grassy hill. My eyes barely even open, I notice that Daxter had found his way to our side during Cynder's song, &amp; was currently laying on his stomach- curled in a ball on the ground- a little less than a foot away from me. Closing my eyes &amp; turning my face towards the sky, I take a deep breath &amp; relax a little more, breathing in the warm air.

"Man, it's hot out," Luke's voice says through the grass somewhere near my head, the discomfort obvious in his tone. Spyro, Cynder, &amp; even Meldalvyna giving off a knowing chuckle at his vexation with the heat. Grinning with them, I reposition myself to try to get a bit more comfy in the pillowy grass, suddenly becoming ultra-aware of the hot weather, finding myself sweating almost instantaneously. With a protesting groan from Meldalvyna, I sit up &amp; away from her, only to smile happily again as I take off my over-shirt &amp; lay back down in the thin, plain white shirt I had been wearing underneath my blue one, closing my eyes &amp; relaxing again.

"You know, we should probably be getting back soon. I still need to call Ashelin," Torn says from somewhere past Daxter, making an obvious point. Opening my eyes, I sit back up -again getting an plaintive moan from Meldalvyna- &amp; locate Torn in the grass.

"Why don't you call her right now? We all know the communicators work on this side," I suggest to the Freedom League's Cheif of Arms, Torn looking up at me with a thoughtful expression before nodding in agreement. Digging his communicator out of his pocket, Torn standes up while his fingers flash across the comm. unit's screen, getting to &amp; selecting Ashelin's number. Walking away as he waits for the Baroness to answer the call, Torn puts a few feet between everyone &amp; himself, keeping his back to us, though I swear I can see a small smile tugging the corners of his lips up as he turns away.

"Hey Ashelin, guess where I'm calling you from," Torn says, his raspy voice carrying an obvious smile. With a smile &amp; a shake of my head, I lay back down in the grass next to Meldalvyna, all of us listening in on the conversation &amp; trying to hear Ashelin's response. We can all hear the Governess give a guess, but sadly her voice is just a mumble to everyone but the Cheif of Arms. Torn gives a small frown at Ashelin's response, his side now facing us, I just barely able to see his face through the blades of grass surrounding Meldalvyna &amp; me.

"Come on, just think about it. What did I have to do today after making all those copies of those two scrolls?" the Freedom League's Cheif of Arms says, trying to remind the Baroness of the plans, his voice low, though not as low as when he's talking to anyone else in the Freedom League. After a second, we all hear Ashelin exclaim, the sound of excitement in her unintelligible words making us all smile, a small smirk visible on Torn's face as he turns to face us, though his head is bent downward.

"Suprising, isn't it?... It's pretty warm over here, it's early- yeah- early summer here," Torn says after a second, looking up to Cynder &amp; Spyro- who had lifted their head from the grass to watch the leader of the Freedom League- to make sure that what he is telling the Governess is correct. With another smirk, I look away from Torn &amp; at Meldalvyna, shaking my head again before nodding back towards the Freedom League's Cheif of Arms, Meldalvyna smiling &amp; nodding in a knowing way, a silent chuckle shaking her shoulders. A few seconds later, we hear Torn finish his call before walking back towards everyone, though remaining standing. All of us seeming to simultaneously decide it was time to go, we all stand up &amp; give a stretch, Daxter jumping up &amp; onto my shoulder after I put back on my over shirt, my hurt back no longer protesting to the sudden movements.

"Hmm... It was nice to be back here, even if for a few minutes," Cynder says, a smile on her face as she passes the group &amp; reaches the first crystal before everyone else can, waiting for us at the large crystalline column. Mentally, I ask my Light Eco alter if he's prepared for the long trip back to Meldalvyna's house.

"_I suppose so... It seems the red crystal has healed our unused muscles, &amp; the green crystal rejuvenated our energy quicker than normal_," Light says with a sigh, his tone making it obvious that he wasn't looking forward to the flight back to Meldalvyna's house. With a silent snicker, I place my hand on the first crystal's surface &amp; close my eyes, allowing myself to relax to the flow of its power. Opening my eyes ten seconds later, I no longer feel the soreness in my shoulders, though the muscles are still very tired, my entire body feeling better than it had in weeks.

Walking with Meldalvyna to the next crystal as everyone takes their hand away from the first one, I think through what Light said, finding that he is correct as far as I can tell. As soon as everyone around me is ready, I place my hand on the surface of the green crystal &amp; close my eyes, allowing the energy from the stone to course through me. Ten seconds later, I open my eyes, immediately noticing that my shoulders are no longer tired &amp; have energy to spare throughout my entire being, with not only my body, but the Light &amp; Dark Eco in my veins. Flexing my hands for a second while trying to look for any visible change, I look up a second later, the realization in mind, &amp; notice that Meldalyvna was looking at me with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" Meldalvyna whispers as we head over to the final crystal. I shake my head, signalling to her that I'll tell her later. Nodding in understanding, we pick up the pace towards the snow white, monolithic gem. Repeating the earlier action again, I feel a little of the extra energy leave &amp; some of the soreness return, this little bit barely noticeable, but still there. Sighing a little in disappointment, I open my eyes &amp; pull my hand away from the crystal, not wanting the good feeling in my body to leave. Everyone calmly walks through (or flies in Carl's case) the UniPortal Gate &amp; into the sudden cold of late fall/early winter. Shivering at the immediate chill biting at any &amp; all of my exposed skin &amp; tearing through my clothes. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Meldalvyna glances between the transport zoomer &amp; her parents, the look of thought in her expression.

"Mom, dad, I'm going to ride in the air-tran this time. Is that okay?" she asks her parents softly a second later, Spyro &amp; Cynder nodding with a smile on their face. Silently, I thank Meldalyvna &amp; her parents as the air-tran comes to a landing a few feet away to allow its passangers entry. While we walk towards the transport zoomer, I glance backwards &amp; send a thankful smile towards the king &amp; queen of Warfang, each of them nodding before spreading their wings &amp; taking off into the sky a second later. Sitting down on one of the benches inside the air-tran as the vehicle takes off into the air after the two waiting dragons &amp; the door closes, Meldalyvna immediately finds a seat on my lap, wrapping her arm around my back. Wary of what happened earlier this morning on the way to the Freedom League HQ, I wait to make sure Meldalvyna isn't going to try to run a finger up my spine again before relaxing &amp; wrapping my arms around her waist &amp; pulling her towards me as I lean back against the walls of the transport zoomer.

Minutes later, I feel the air-tran land, Meldalvyna standing as soon as the transport zoomer makes contact with the earth below, the warmth that had come from her being so close leaving with her. Standing up after her, I wait for the back hatch to the air-tran to open before walking out with Meldalvyna &amp; making a restrained dash towards the warmth of her house, Cynder &amp; Spyro already inside. Making it into the house within a few seconds, I walk towards Meldalyvna's couch &amp; sit down, Meldalvyna sitting down next to me a second later.

"So, now all we have to do is wait for Hunter &amp; Cole to come back, &amp; for Ashelin to deliver all the copies of the scrolls to the heads of other cities, right? Well, that &amp; waiting for those officials to respond?" Carl asks, he &amp; Luke being the last to enter the building.

"Yes, that is what will be happening until Hunter &amp; Cole return," Spyro answers from his seat on his pile of pillows, watching with a smile as everyone else takes a seat around the roaring fireplace in the center of the living room. Cynder simply nods in agreement, sitting close to Spyro &amp; the fire at the same time.

"Well, I guess we have a while to relax &amp; go about our normal business before things get serious then," Luke says with an optimistic smile &amp; light, airy chuckle. Everyone gives off an agreeing, almost relieved mumble under their breath.

"**Huh, I wonder if Spyro &amp; Cynder have any of those crystals lying about for the next time Light decides to take a long-ass flight**," Dark ponders in the back of my mind, his thought making me wonder the same question, glancing momentarily at the dragon couple before closing my eyes &amp; relaxing in the fire's heat.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Reclining against Jak's side, I enjoy the fire's warmth infront of me, listening in to the conversation, though not really contributing, my mind still on how Jak had been observing his hand with that strange, curious look just a few minutes ago.

"_He looked like he had just gotten a new set of hands... What could he have been thinking_?" I think questioningly, glancing at Jak through my peripheral, not letting the question or the curiosity reach the surface.

"Well, I should probably be heading back. Ashelin will probably want my help sorting the copies out to each of the recipients," Torn says suddenly, standing with a small, barely noticeable stretch.

"Truth be told, Luke &amp; I should probably get going as well," Carl says a second later, standing as well, Luke standing with him &amp; looking like they are anxious to leave. I swear I can smell the scent of embarassment &amp; concealment coming from the two of them.

"Have a safe ride, you three," Cynder says with a smile, her voice soft, which throws me for a second, still not quite used to hearing such a gentle tone to her voice.

"Four... These guys are my ride home, &amp; I still have a lot 'a planning to do with Tess. See ya around," Daxter says after jumping off of Jak's shoulder &amp; onto Luke's- which nearly causes the poor pilate to fall over with the surprise weight- turning to face us a second later from his shoulder, "who knows, maybe we'll all get together after this is all over &amp; just party 'till we drop!"

"Sure, sound's fun Dax," Jak laughs as Luke, Carl, &amp; Torn all turn to leave, he &amp; I waving everyone who is leaving goodbye. The door shuts behind them a second later, the sound of the engines of the air-tran starting up &amp; taking off coming a minute later.

"Well, what to do for the rest of the day, it's only four," Jak says with a bored sigh. Cynder &amp; Spyro shrug before standing up themselves, my mother headed for the hall their room is in while my stepfather heads for the kitchen.

"I don't know... maybe we can just nap until dinner, which is usually served at around six, or we can work on learning each other's alphabets," I suggest, remembering the long process of translating the two scrolls earlier this morning.

"Maybe we should do both," Jak suggests quickly, not wanting to have to pick one over the other. Nodding, I get up &amp; walk towards the staircase, Jak following close behind. Looking up the stairwell, I see Sparx flitting down them towards us only to go over our heads, giving us a tired wave, like he himself had just been napping, not leaving us a chance to wave back before disappearing down the hall next to the stairs.

"So, what do we want to do first?" I ask Jak as we make our way up to &amp; into my room, turning around to see Jak pause for a second just inside my room, his eyes moving about in thought, taking his time in thinking it through.

"We should probably start with working on the characters, then take a nap," Jak answers with a small nod, confirming his own thoughts with himself. Silently agreeing with him, I walk over to my desk &amp; pull out two sheets of paper, as well as two pencils &amp; erasers to go with the pieces of paper. Handing a piece of paper, pencil, &amp; eraser to Jak, I grab two large, hardbacked books &amp; toss them on my bed before sitting on my mattress next to the two volumes, Jak joining me a second later.

"Okay, you write your alphabet &amp; numbers zero through nine as neatly as you can, as well as any important symbols like a price sign, comma, etc. I'll do the same with my paper, then we'll switch papers, &amp; practice writing the symbols, putting them in sentences, writing our names &amp; such," I explain as I hand Jak a tome, setting my book in my lap &amp; placing my paper on it's back cover, pencil in hand, ready to write.

Jak nods &amp; copies my setup, immediately beginning to write in his native characters, I doing the same. A few minutes later, we trade papers &amp; begin copying down each of the letters &amp; symbols, Jak pleased at how easy mine are compaired to his own, explaining to each other what each of the characters mean as we go. When it comes time for us to try using each allegory without looking at our copied ones, some of the sentences we use make us laugh, not excluding the many mistakes we each made. Almost an entire hour later, we finish our practice, confident enough in each other's alphabet, numbers, et cetera for the day, planning to practice them again the next day after work.

"Well, that took forever. I could use a good nap now... where are we going to do this though?" Jak asks, placing his paper next to mine on my desk, his book ontop of mine. Glancing between my bed, in the direction of Jak's room, &amp; the direction of the stairs, I think through the possibilities &amp; the consequences, my mind choosing one of the options nearly immediately.

"Down stairs, just like last time," I answer, Jak nodding in silent agreement as we leave my room together. Once downstairs, we begin to set up a small pallet of pillows &amp; cushions, I having to run back up the stairs to get a blanket for Jak &amp; I to share. Just as Jak &amp; I are about to lay down, Sparx comes buzzing out of the kitchen, giving a grinning, sideways glance before flying up the stairs, the sound of his small room door opening &amp; shutting a few moments later. Shaking my head, I lay down, Jak following suit a second later, &amp; I snuggle up against him, draping an arm over his chest &amp; nuzzling my snout into the crook of his neck.

"Dinner time you two," my mother's voice says, the suddenness of her call to get up startling me awake, Jak still asleep. Blinking my eyes a few times, my vision finally focuses in on Cynder watching us from the hallway with a smile. Sitting up, I watch as she walks away &amp; into the kitchen towards our large dining table &amp; then around the corner towards the oven. Turning to look at Jak, I take a second to revel in his peaceful expression, loving the softened features of his face, before giving his shoulder a light shake &amp; kissing him lightly next to his eye. With a groggy, but otherwise happy smile, Jak opens his eyes &amp; sits up, sniffing the air, immediately smelling the prepared meal.

"Time to eat, right?" Jak asks after a yawn, unwrapping himself from the blankets &amp; standing, helping me up as he asks. With a smile I nod in agreement as we make our way over to Spyro's side to receive our plates of food &amp; to fetch ourselves a drink of fresh water. Sitting at the table &amp; beginning to eat, we slowly consume our food in relative silence, small mumbles between seat neighbors being the only breaking of that silence. After dinner, I help Jak put back the parts of our make-shift bed of various cushions &amp; pillows.

Minutes later, I walk upstairs, with Jak a few step behind, &amp; into my room to get ready for bed, parting ways with Jak at the turn in the hallway. Changing into my old, tight pajamas, I seriously consider either making or having a new set of bed clothes made for me by the man that Jak brought me to for the outfit I now wear almost every day underneath my Freedom League uniform &amp; armor. Dismissing the thought as I squeeze into the final part of my pajamas, I let my mind fall to the future.

"_I wonder what we're going to do tomorrow after work... man, this weak is probably going to be boring_," I think to myself with a sigh, not looking forward to the possibility of extreme boredom in the coming week. Suddenly, a devious thought pops into my mind, a sly smile immediately finding itself on my lips. Turning off my light &amp; setting my alarm 15 minutes earlier than normal, I close my eyes &amp; let my evil, slightly dirty, plan develop in my head. Drifting off to sleep, my devilish grin fading to a barely visible smirk as I fall into a deep, dreamless yet peaceful slumber.

Waking hours later to the blaring of my alarm clock, I jump out of bed &amp; quickly turn off my alarm clock, having not forgotten my plan from the night before. Grabbing a bra, I take off my pajama shirt, only to replace it after I put on the cupped garment. Sliding out of my room once my shirt is replaced over my bra, I tip-toe down the hall &amp; into Jak's room. Easing the door open &amp; back closed, I use my Shadow Element to creep up to the side of Jak's bed, my Shadow allowing me to meld through the material of the bed &amp; position myself properly between the covers &amp; the matress without alarming Jak.

Releasing the Element from its calling, my ability to phase through objects immediately retreats, placing me directly next to Jak. Cautiously removing my arms out from underneath the blankets, I carefully take off my shirt &amp; drop it to the floor next to me, shedding my shorts as well. Laying on only in my panties &amp; bra, I reactivate my Shadow &amp; transfer the power to Jak's shirt to remove it as well as his pajama shorts, setting those on the floor as well. Returning to my planned position, I deactivate my Shadow Element ability &amp; get comfortable next to Jak. Laying on my side, I gently drape my top arm across Jak's chest &amp; curl the safe part of my tail over his legs around his knees. From there, I softly nuzzle the end of my snout into the space between Jak's shoulder &amp; ear, making sure not to wake him. Finally, I close my eyes &amp; wait for Jak's alarm to go off in exactly ten minutes, barely able to hold in my mischievous excitement at what his reaction will be. The smirk on my face only grows as the time goes on, slowly but surely, the destined time for the alarm to go off approaching, mounting my exhilleration. Finally, the alarm clock goes off, &amp; I wait with anticipation as Jak opens his eyes with a curious expression on his face.

**Author's Note:** Well, there ya go folks, chapter 49 of "Of Two Worlds"! I'm so sorry I'm so late, but I have a legit excuse! The thing is, I had to study for around three tests during the week I had been typing this, &amp; then this past weekend, I had to prepare for a state contest I had to go to, which went from this past Monday to Wednesday, all during which I had no internet while I was at the contest, &amp; then I had a but-load of homework. Luckily, I BROUGHT HOME THE GOLD, ALONG WITH MY ENTIRE TEAM (I was so surprised we got it too)! If you are wondering what I am talking about, it is SkillsUSA, &amp; I competed in Quiz Bowl for the State Competition where I live. Anyways, again, I apologize again for being so late, &amp; until next time, tigerdj98 signing off!


	50. Morning Torture & Loving Pilots

**Author's Note:** I apologize profusely for how late this chapter was! My computer decided to corrupt the chapter file literally the DAY BEFORE it was scheduled to be posted, &amp; made all my words _**invisible**_ &amp; unable to be copied or pasted elsewhere... so yeah, you see why I'm so late. Well, besides the major set back, I hope you enjoy this extremely delayed chapter!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

The sound of my alarm clock on my communicator blaring for a few seconds wakes me up before I reach over &amp; shut the little device off, leaving my eyes closed. Noticing a strange weight to my side, sudden awareness runs my mind into overdrive, realizing I was in nothing but my boxers. Across my chest &amp; legs near my knees, I can feel something rough, almost like it is scaled, resting against my bare skin, my eyes still closed. Finally deciding to open my eyes, I look towards the source of the odd weight next to me with an albeit curious expression on my face.

"HOLY SHIT!" I shout out beside my guess of what the mystery force next to me was, leaping backwards &amp; away from Meldalvyna- who is only in her underwear &amp; bra- immediately regretting my loud yell of alarm. Hoping against all odds that Sparx or Meldalvyna's parents won't start asking questions (or for Sparx to burst in the room himself), I force myself to calm down a little bit, though not without a small distance between Meldalvyna &amp; I.

"_When did she get in here? And didn't we go to sleep in a shirt &amp; shorts_?" Light asks with a tone of slight worry &amp; forgetfulness, the question making me ponder over the thought as well. Looking over to Meldalvyna I watch as a sleepy yawn escapes from her throat, before looking me in the eye with a tired smile, a loving glimmer in her eye.

"Mel, when did you get in here?" I ask, trying to hold back the mounting concern for her answer, while also trying very hard not to stare at her exposed chest, the only part of her out from underneath the covers being her upper half, which is propped up with an elbow.

"What do you mean 'when did I get in here'? I've been in here since last night... or did we go so _**rough**_ last night you forgot?" Meldalvyna questions with a devilish smirk &amp; a dirty purr, leaning her head a bit closer as her teeth become exposed with her lecherous smirk. Eyes widening, I search through my memory, trying to find the point in the night that Meldalvyna speaks of with no avail.

"**I swear if this is a prank, she gets a perfect ten. If not- still a perfect ten, either way I'm happy... as long as Cynder doesn't kill us that is**," Dark says with a yawn &amp; a chuckle, obviously enjoying the view after just waking up. Ignoring his lewd images he's trying to push on me, I refocus on Meldalvyna's face, only for her to burst into laughter once our eyes meet. Her sudden eruption of laughter throws me for a loop, it taking a moment for me to realize what she's laughing at, Dark joining in with her giggling in the back of my mind, a relieved chuckle even coming from Light that I share.

"You should've seen your face! You looked like your life flashed before your eyes or something," Meldalvyna guffaws, sitting up all the way, pausing when she notices my embarassed staring, "dude, it'd be no different than seeing me in a swim suit, calm down."

"Yeah yeah, you got me all right," I say with a grudgingly amused snort, shaking my head both at her &amp; my own credulity. Turning my head away from Meldalvyna for only a short few seconds, I feel the bed shift as Meldalyvna begins to move. Looking back at her, I watch as Meldalvyna reaches over the side of the bed for what I guess are her pajamas. Suddenly, an evil thought comes into my mind as her tail end pokes into the air a little as she reaches down further that I simply cannot ignore. With a devilish smirk of my own, I reach over &amp; give her rear a quick swat right next to her tail. Meldalvyna shoots up into an upward position, whipping her head around to look at me with a surprised expression on her face.

"So that's how you're gonna play, is it," Meldalvyna says with a slight growl, her lips suddenly curling into a predatory smile as she turns to face me fully, clothes forgotten on the floor. A cold shiver of fear runs down my spine, &amp; before I can react, Meldalvyna dives ontop of me. Suddenly, I find my arms &amp; legs pinned down, I unable to get her off of me without possibly hurting Meldalvyna in the process. Realising my current defeat after a second of gently trying to shake my arms &amp; legs out from underneath their captor, I look back up towards Meldalvyna, an evil smirk on her face as yet another spike of trepidation drips down my back, her tail &amp; wings lifted with an air of intimidation that is working.

"What's a-matter love, you _**scared**_ of me or something?" Meldalvyna asks with a dangerous, mocking hiss in her voice, an amused glint in her green eyes, slitted pupils staring down at me with a dare to try to move again. Meldalvyna glances downward for a second, her evil smile growing wider as an idea visually comes to her mind. Looking down, I watch with mounting fear as her tail's blade comes to a rest between my collar bones before gently dragging down the center of my chest, coming uncomfortably close to the elastic band of my boxers.

My breathing going ragged, I close my eyes tightly as her tailblade traces its way back up to where it had started. Opening my eyes with the hope of Meldalvyna stopping her torturous teasing, I exhale with a bit of relief, only for it to be in vain as she begins to lean close to me, her lips pulled back in a tooth-exposing smile. Tensing in her grip &amp; approaching teeth, I watch with wide eyes as Meldalvyna begins to nips roughly- though still gentle enough to not draw blood- at my shoulder, moving slowly up my neck &amp; to my jaw, small licks &amp; kisses that ghost across my skin.

Pulling away for only a second, Meldalvyna looks down at me with a soft, yet wicked smile before leaning back forward. I feel Meldalvyna's teeth on my lips, tugging lightly before taking her teeth off me &amp; replacing them with her own lips, moving one of her hands to cup my cheek. With an entertained chuckle, Meldalvyna pulls away &amp; clambers off me back to where she left her clothes on the ground, I catching my breath, trying to calm down.

"**Damn... that was intense**," Dark comments, sounding as breathless as I am, though very pleased, "**we should to slap her ass more often**."

"_Do you know how much trouble we could've been in if Sparx decided to come in here Dark? We most definitely DO NOT need to smack her rear any more, if that's what she's going to do each time_," Light chides, still shaken by Meldalvyna's admittingly sensual teasing. Trying to shake off their bickering that ensues, I look over my edge of the mattress, I find my night clothes resting on the ground right next to the bed. Sitting up &amp; turning my back to Meldalvyna- to give her privacy to get into her pajamas- I grab my own clothes &amp; shrug into them. Turning back to Meldalvyna, I catch a glimpse of her- now clothed- looking at my back before looking away with a guilty yet curious expression on her face.

"What is so interesting about my back, Mel?" I ask, though I know she had been looking at the scars &amp; Eco-veins on my back, this being only the second time she's seen my back, &amp; probably the first time she noticed the markings, our initial time waking up together in bed being contaminated by concentration-breaking hangovers. Meldalvyna opens &amp; closes her mouth a few times, trying to decide whether or not to answer my knowingly prying question or to let it drop.

"Where did you get all those scars, &amp; what's with the large veins next to your spine?" Meldalvyna asks softly after thinking it through for a second, the guilty expression still on her face. At that moment, I try to decide whether or not to tell her where all the scars came from, especially the round, almost target shaped ones. I know I can tell her about the veins though, without a single hitch.

"Those veins are from the Dark &amp; Light Eco in my body, the darker one for Dark Eco obviously, &amp; the lighter one for Light Eco," I answer, deciding to answer the second half of her question first, still trying to decide whether or not to give her the full answer.

"And the scars?" Meldalvyna asks gently, the look on her face suggesting that she wouldn't push the subject if I am uncomfortable with it, mixed with a slightly knowing expression, probably guessing where the less serious scars came from. Glancing past Meldalvyna, I stare at the wall for a second, feeling my expression twitch between barely noticeable frowns &amp; straight faces.

"_You know Jak, she accepts Dark for how he is, even the more- morbid- stories you've told about him, &amp; what he's made you do. I don't think she'll reject us if we told her where THOSE scars came from_," Light says, a thoughtful &amp; convincing tone to his voice, his reasoning making very sound sense.

"**Are you sure Light? Even when we told Cynder Jak &amp; I busted out of a prison two years after we first came to Haven, SHE looked at us with surprise. The fuckin' QUEEN OF CONQUER- the Dark Master's former puppet- was shocked to hear we broke out of a hellhole prison**," Dark sneers contrarily, also worrying about what Meldalvyna might think of the round scars on my back, his origin marks, &amp; a permanent symbol of my two years in that torturous place.

Watching as an increasingly worried expression spreads across Meldalyvna's face, I finally come to a decision. I decide that I'm going to start telling the people I trust the origins of those scars, &amp; the person I'm going to start it with, realizing right then &amp; there that I haven't told a single soul yet, not even Daxter, my childhood best friend. Taking a deep breath, I bring my attention back to Meldalvyna, focusing on only her eyes.

"Most of the scars I got from fighting, or being plain stupid when I was younger- you know, everything from falling out of a tree or something like that, to bullet wounds- but the circular ones... Those are the permanent markings of how I got Dark," I begin, focused intensely on Meldalvyna's green orbs, watching with as calm an expression I can manage as her eyes begin to show signs of dreading curiosity.

"How did you get Dark?" Meldalvyna asks softly, turning to me fully with a gentle smile on her face, trying to ease the building tension in the room between us. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes for a second, deciding on how to word my answer, before opening them &amp; refocusing them on Meldalvyna's emerald pools.

"From the two years I spent in prison when I first got to Haven City... The reason the round scars are shaped the way they are is because those are the scars left behind by large needles being used on me daily up until Daxter busted me out," I reply, swallowing the growing lump in my throat with a slight, nervous shake, blinking in surprise of my own as Meldalvyna's expression goes from shock to overwhelming sympathy. Diving forward with sudden quickness, Meldalyvna wraps her arms &amp; tail around my chest, squeezing me in a tight hug, nuzzling her cheek to my own before laying multiple light kisses there.

"I'm so sorry! For both you having to go through such a horrible experience, AND for making you tell me!" Meldalvyna says softly, looking me in the eyes before pulling me into a passionate kiss, hugging me even tighter than before.

"Mel, it's okay, honest. That was years ago, &amp; I figured I should start telling all my close friends where they came from should they ask, &amp; I decided to start with you, the one I love," I say with a laugh towards the beginning after we part, I gently pushing her away a little to look at her with a smile, before dwindling towards a soft whisper at the end, stroking one of her cheeks with my thumb.

"Okay, as long as you're fine now... We should get down stairs, I'm starved," Meldalvyna says with a laughing grin after a second of us just sitting there, turning &amp; getting off her side of the bed, I shaking my head with an amused grin of my own before following her out of the room &amp; down stairs.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Walking down stairs with Jak close behind, we reach the kitchen in just in time to pick up our still steaming breakfasts from my stepfather, fresh from the stove top. Eating our early morning meal in peaceful, pleasant silence, we stand up &amp; wash our dishes together once we finish our breakfast. Heading back up the stairs to get into our uniforms, I smack Jak's rear as he turns down the hall towards his borrowed room, his head whipping back to look at me with surprise.

"Payback," I say simply with an evil smile before disappearing from his line of sight into my room with a triumphant chuckle. Closing the door, I listen to Jak's retreating footsteps before going to my dresser to grab my uniform off it's surface &amp; change into them. Sliding into the black stretchy spandex, blue kevlar cloth, &amp; multiple pieces of blue metal armor, I try to remember what Torn said we were supposed to do today. Giving up as I finish getting dressed, I pull my hair out from under the collar of my shirt while walking towards the door, planning on asking Torn when we get to the Freedom League Head Quarters. Opening the door, I look to Jak's door just in time to see him walking out of the room, a smile on his face when he catches sight of me.

"Do you know what we're going to do today at work?" Jak asks as he reaches me, heading down the stairs together &amp; around the corner towards the bathroom. Shaking my head, Jak raises an eyebrow at me, silently questioning why I didn't know, I having been the only one really having an idea of what is to happen in the coming events.

"Hey man, it's not like I'm going to remember everything someone or something tells me," I defend, giving him a light slug to the shoulder as we walk into the bathroom together. Jak chuckles lightly at my expense, closing the door behind us before joining me at the sink. I taking out my toothbrush, Jak grabs his comb as we begin to get ready for our upcoming day of doing what's planned for work. Just as I rinse the toothpaste suds off my lips, I feel the teeth of a comb gently pulling through my hair as soon as I sit back up, about to grab my hairbrush to brush my hair myself. Pulling away from the soft tug of the comb, I turn my head to look at Jak, requesting an explanation silently with my eyes.

"I felt like combing your hair," Jak answers simply, a smile on his face as he wags the comb a little bit for emphasis, "you just relax &amp; let me do this, or I won't stop bothering you about it."

With a half-smile &amp; an entertained shake of my head, I turn back to face the sink, giving in to Jak's wishes. Standing still, I close my eyes &amp; allow myself to come to a peaceful ease, listening to the comb slide through my hair as Jak softly teases out every single knot in my tresses in a few short minutes. The combing ceasing, I open my eyes &amp; feel a relaxed smile creep onto my face, turning to Jak with a thankful hum. Shaking his head with a smile on his face, Jak picks up his tooth brush, putting toothpaste on the little utensil before stuffing it in his mouth &amp; scrubbing. Leaning in, I give his cheek a small peck before leaning on the door, waiting for him to finish cleaning his teeth. Two minutes later, we walk out of the bathroom together, headed straight for the door, waving goodbye to everyone in the living room. Walking through the door, we plunge into the bitter cold of the winter morning.

"So, how do we want to get to the pickup area this time?" I ask Jak as we walk a few feet away from the house, the question making Jak stop in his tracks, looking me over with an expression of increasing depth of thought.

"We haven't used the Jet-Board in a while... I could carry you," Jak suggests with a barely noticeable smile &amp; a shrug of his shoulders. Remembering the first time we went to the extraction point with Jak carrying me on his Jet-Board, a smile comes to my face as I nod my head. Jak's nearly invisible smile becomes obvious as he kneals down &amp; tosses his already activated Jet-Board to the ground, waving me over. Taking the silent command with enthusiam, I wrap myself around his back, arms around his neck, legs &amp; tail wrapped tightly around his torso. Adjusting my weight on my back, Jak gets himself comfortable before stepping on the Jet-Board &amp; taking off down the path with a sudden burst of speed that came from nowhere.

What seems like only minutes later, we arrive at the rendezvous point, about bit later than we normally arrive, the air-tran already landed &amp; waiting for us. Approaching the back end of the transport zoomer, we wait for the scanners to recognize our faces &amp; release the door of the vehicle &amp; allow it to open with impacient eagerness. After a few seconds of standing there, the hatch finally begins to open, the heat streaming out of the interior of the machine visible in skewed, nearly invisible clear waves of air above our heads.

"Carl, Luke?!" Jak exclaims in surprise as we catch sight of the two pilots... wrapped in each others' arms &amp; encased in a passionate kiss. Shaking off my own short shock, a smile creeps onto my face, remembering how the two had jumped away from each other looking guilty just a few days before, just like they did at Jak's shout of surprise.

"H-hey Jak, hi Meldalvyna," Luke stutters softly- standing closer to the cockpit of the air-tran than Carl- running a hand through his hair, a deep red blush on his cheeks &amp; ears, Carl clutching at his upper arm in embarassment. Glancing through my peripheral at Jak, I see Jak's face still pulled in a shocked expression, though slowly fading into a blank stare. Shaking my head, I walk away from Jak, into the transport zoomer, past the two pilots, &amp; take a seat on one of the metal benches. Looking back at the three men, I find a dumbstruck expression on each of their faces.

"Luke, Carl, do you remember a few days ago when we walked up to you two doing something behind one of your pilot's seat, &amp; you wouldn't tell us what? Well, I had guessed something along these lines were afoot after leaving you two, &amp; it turns out I was right... Anyhow, I'm fine with the fact you two are together, love is love, no matter how it's construed," I explain plainly with a smile on my face. The two pilots relax a second later, throwing me thankful smiles as they both sit on the metal bench opposite me, Luke's forehead in his hands, a relieved smile on his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Jak takes a tentative step inside, immediately going to my side &amp; taking a seat next to me.

"Sorry about my reaction. I'm alright with that also, it's just a bit surprising to learn something like that in such a- sudden- way, you know? I guess it'd be like if you guys _**just**_ learned I was dating Meldalvyna, or if you _**just**_ figured out she was half dragon... but yeah, sorry about that," Jak says softly, his head bent down slightly in apology, glancing at them sheepishly, a half-smile of guilt on his face.

"Eh, it's alright I guess... You guys were probably going to figure that out somehow anyway... Well, we should probably get going, you guys were later than what we got used to," Carl says with a smile, walking into the cockpit &amp; sitting in his seat, Luke following suit a few steps behind him. Smiling after them until the door of the air-tran closes &amp; we lift off, I turn my attention to Jak to see an ever growing evil, half-smirk on his face.

"What's that look for?" I ask, my question jeering Jak out of his thoughts, giving me a strange look before what I said dawns on him, his trecherous smile returning to his face.

"Now that we know those two are together... I was thinking we could mess with them- make them uncomfortable a little," Jak answers quietly, his smile revealing his teeth in his signature devilish smile, I immediately getting what he means &amp; joining in his wicked grinning. Looking towards the front of the transport zoomer, I think of the many things we could do to get the pilots' skin to crawl.

"_Huh just what could we do... We could make sure they see us in an intense makeout or something_," I ponder in my head, looking between Jak &amp; the cockpit, trying to come up with something to say or do. Turning away from the the pilots, I look at Jak.

"Have any ideas Jak?" I ask just loud enough for only Jak to hear, he shrugging a second later, signifying he doesn't have an thought of what to do either. Pursing my lips in deep thought, I stare at the wall opposite me before an idea strikes me.

"Hey Jak, I've got an idea... but it's a hell of an evil one," I say quietly, the smirk I had worn when I had given Jak a little bit of torture earlier this morning coming back to my face. Jak, no doubt recognizing the expression, pales a little &amp; swallows nervously.

"Even though I've only seen that look once or twice, I know it means you're up to something bad... What's your idea?" Jak asks with a nervous expression, his voice &amp; scent telling me that he is eager to hear it out first. With a smirk towards the back of the pilots' heads, I lean in towards Jak &amp; cup my hands around his ear.

"It's simple, but we should wait until our return trip to the house for this... My plan is we make it look like we're doin' it as we're coming to a landing, &amp; watch their faces as they turn... it'll be priceless!" I snigger quietly into Jak's ear, making sure Carl &amp; Luke can't hear our conversation.

"Mel, don't you think that'd be taking it a bit to far?" Jak asks with a wide-eyed expression, his tone full of utter surprise. Looking at him, I grin an evil, trecherous smile, slowly shaking my head side to side.

"You see, in my head, I see you holding me up against the wall of the air-tran, &amp; I use my wings to hide the fact we aren't actually doing anything... we could also use some of the water from your canteen to make it look like we're sweating, to make the prank look a little more real," I explain quietly into Jak's ear, this time Jak nodding with my plan.

"That sounds better... maybe when we first get in, we can ask them to turn up the heat in the transport zoomer or something to add a little bit of heat to our faces, you know," Jak whispers, his suggestion for extra realism nearly making me laugh as I nod hysterically in agreement, my shoulders shaking in a silent fit of giggles.

"We're here you two, see you guys later," Carl says as the air-tran begins to descend towards the ground. Standing, I collect myself &amp; pull my hood up, ready for the day of work &amp; the coming planned prank, Jak standing next to me, ready to dart out the door. Feeling the transport zoomer land, I grab Jak's hand, ready for the crowd outside, the door remaining closed for a second.

"Hey guys, please keep Carl &amp; I a secret, I don't want everyone in the Freedom League giving us weird looks, or stop being our friends over it," Luke says as the door begins to open, Jak &amp; I nodding in silence, feeling their concern ourselves, knowing how they feel due to our own relationship. The hatch finally opens all the way, Jak pulling me by the hand quickly out the back of the air-tran &amp; through the thick crowd, though slightly thinner than it normally is.

"So, have you remembered what we're going to do today?" Jak asks once the doors of the Freedom League HQ close behind us, looking at me while he takes in a deep breath, shoving through a throng of people while at a full run being a very exhausting activity.

**Author's Note:** Well, this chapter was pretty entertaining by my standards! Other than that, I'm terribly sorry for being so late, but as I said before, it's my computer's fault, not my own! I'll still post my next chapter (hopefully anyhow) on time, or at least I'll try to get within a day of the posting schedule! Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter [I liked typing the first part ;) ] as much as I did making it for you readers! I also hope that the next chapter will be just as entertaining as this one was! With that, tigerdj98 signing out for now!


	51. Communicators & Pranking Pilots

**Author's Note:** Welcome all to chapter 51! I feel like this chapter is a mile-stone for this story, since I never expected this story to get THIS LONG! I honestly thought my story would end up only 30, maybe 35 chapters or something... not more than 50! Anyhow, that is besides the point, so without much further ado, the story!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

"So, have you remembered what we're going to do today?" I ask Meldalvyna once we make it inside the Freedom League HQ &amp; the doors close behind us. Catching my breath from running full speed through a thick crowd while keeping a firm hold on- &amp; open path for- Meldalvyna throughout the throng of people, I lean against the wall behind me.

"No, I haven't actually, but I am beginning to believe that we were never told WHAT we're going to do today, just to resume normal activities," Meldalvyna says, a half-frown on her face, "come on, we should check in, then go ask Torn what he wants us to do today."

Walking from her position to stand infront of me, Meldalvyna shoves a hand forward, holding the appendage out, intending for me to use it to pull myself up &amp; away from the wall. Taking her offering, I nearly give a small yelp in surprise when Meldalvyna yanks me into a completely upright position, I crashing against her shoulder.

"Damn, Dax was right when he said you're really strong around when we first met... didn't really occur to me just now though," I say with a chuckle as I look at Meldalvyna's curious, single-lifted eyebrow expression. With a smile &amp; a shake of her head, Meldalvyna's hand remains wrapped around mine as we walk down the hall hand in hand towards the time punch, then towards Torn's office. At the Cheif of Arms's door, Meldalvyna steals the chance to knock on the door before I even raise my arm.

"Come in," Torn's voice calls through the door a second later, I opening the door before Meldalvyna can reach for the knob, a competitive smirk on my face as we walk into the room.

"How did I know it'd be you two," the former KG says with a smirk once he looks up from his papers on the desk he's sitting behind, "what do you two want?"

"We were wondering what we are to do today for work," Meldalvyna answers automatically, her voice holding respect, sounding almost like her mother when I first met Cynder in the way she speaks. Torn nods to Meldalvyna's response, realising the easily fixed situation on his hands.

"I want you two to go on a patrol, as per usual before the media got involved with you two... But you have to use the covered Hellcats Cruisers, you remember what those look like, right Jak?" Torn asks, looking towards me with a smirk on his face, remembering my time in the UnderGround as well as I do.

"Yeah, I do," I answer with an unintentional annoyed growl at Torn, turning towards the door with the intention of leaving right then &amp; there.

"Wait, before you two leave. Meldalvyna, here's the card to your new bank account, containing all the money you've made so far working in the Freedom League. That, &amp; Ashelin, Keira, &amp; are wanting your comm. unit number so they can be better connected to you," the Chief of Arms of the Freedom League says as he stands &amp; holds out a small plastic card to Meldalvyna, Meldalvyna taking it from him &amp; looking it over before stuffing it in a pocket, pulling out her communicator in its place.

"Okay, here you go... You're going to have to navigate it, I'm still learning Precursarian," Meldalvyna says, handing Torn her communicator. Grabbing it, the ex-KG fidgets with her comm. unit for a few moments, looking at his own for reference a few times before handing the device back to her.

"There it is... you should probably send them a message or call them to let you know you have their connections. You two are dismissed," Torn says, taking a seat back behind his desk &amp; waiting for us to leave the room, pen hanging pensively above the many papers on his worktable. Heading back out of the office, I lead Meldalvyna down the many halls towards the air-tran &amp; Hellcat Cruiser hanger.

"Hey, what was that weird snarl about earlier?" Meldalvyna asks as we head down the corridors, concern clear in her voice, I not even having to be able to see underneath her hood to know there is a worried expression on her face.

"I'll tell you once we start patrol, not here... It had to do with my time in the UnderGround, is as much as I'll say right now though," I reply, not feeling comfortable enough in the silent halls of the Freedom League HQ to say anything without worrying that someone could be listening in. Glancing over at Meldalvyna, I watch as her hooded head bobs back &amp; forth, signalling an understanding nod.

Hours later, we finally get our lunch break, I deciding I want to go eat at the Naughty Ottsel, Meldalyvna agreeing completely, missing talking with Daxter &amp; Tess, as well as enjoying the peacefulness of the bar. Parking the Hellcat Cruiser outside, I slip my barely used helmet on to conceal my identity from anyone who may be outside or patrons who might be in the saloon. Getting out of the vehicle &amp; helping Meldalvyna out of her side of the Hellcat Cruiser before walking hand-in-hand towards the of the Naughty Ottsel. Walking into the establishment a few seconds later, I glance around to see the room oddly empty, save for the two Ottsels that run the place standing on the counter.

"Hey Jak, Mel... woah, Jak! Yer actually wearin' yer helmet fer once! Anyhow, what's up?" Daxter says once he sees us, suprised to see me in full, armored uniform. With a smile from underneath my face-hiding visor, I break my connection with Meldalvyna to reach up &amp; remove my helmet, the grin remaining on my face.

"Just thought we'd stop by for our lunch period," I answer, walking towards the bar &amp; taking a seat on one of the stools, Meldalvyna sitting next to me, her hood down &amp; a friendly, happy smile on her face. Spending the rest of our half-hour lunch break at the Naughty Ottsel enjoying ourselves, Meldalvyna &amp; I walk out full &amp; ready to continue our patrol, I back in my helmet &amp; Meldalvyna back in her hood. Helping Meldalvyna up into her side of the Hellcat Cruiser, I walk around to my side of the zoomer &amp; get in, closing the door, strapping in, &amp; starting the vehicle within just a few seconds.

The dark of approaching night becoming thicker with each passing second, Meldalvyna &amp; I pull back into the air-tran &amp; Hellcat Cruiser hanger at the Freedom League HQ, intent on punching out as soon as possible. As we reach the little room where the checkout is, we catch sight of Torn, leaning against the wall next to the time punch, a bag in his hand with something large within its depths.

"There you two are... Meldalvyna, I forgot to give these to you earlier. They are communicators for your parents... And don't worry, I found the alphabet you &amp; Jak wrote up when you first joined, &amp; gave it to Vin to translate all the text into your written language," the Tattoed-Wonder says as he hands Meldalvyna the sack once we reach him, I going ahead &amp; punching out my shift card.

"Thank you, sir. Also, could you send my comm. unit to Vin also for translating some time?" Meldalvyna asks, taking the bag from Torn with a hopeful smile on her face, her hood down, feeling comfident enough in the little room to take the piece of cloth down. Offering to take her card &amp; punch it out for her, Meldalvyna hands me the little card.

"Of course. Tomorrow while you two are patrolling, I'll give you a temporary communicator to use so we can get your system changed &amp; all your previous information put back on it," Torn replies with a nod &amp; a barely visible smile as I punch out Meldalvyna's time card, "well, see you two tomorrow morning."

With that, the Cheif of Arms of the Freedom League walks off, back down the slightly darkened hallways, presumably towards his office. Turning to Meldalvyna, I hand her back her shift card, grabbing her hand as she pulls up her hood with her opposite hand after stuffing the card into a pocket. Walking together in pleasant- yet prepatory- silence towards the door, the prank Meldalvyna had in mind for Carl &amp; Luke pops into my head suddenly.

"Hey Mel, are we still going to go through with that prank you talked about earlier this morning?" I ask her- unable to keep the thought to myself- as we turn the final bend coming towards the door, focusing on the door rather than on her.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that! I still want to prank Carl &amp; Luke, their faces will be SO priceless!" Meldalvyna laughs, her lovely, devilish laugh echoing off the walls of the hall we're in, filling the space with the sound I find so pleasant. Joining in her laughter with a light chuckle of my own, the room goes silent once we realize we're just a few steps away from the subjects of our trick, the two victims just out the door &amp; through a sea of people.

"So, you remember how you wanted this to go down, right?" I ask Meldalvyna, not wanting to push my way through the crowd of people waiting on the other side of the door just yet, looking at them through the one-way glass doors. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Meldalvyna's hood opening turn towards me before turning back to the door.

"Yeah, we ask them to turn up the heat so we con get some natural redness on our faces, then we wait for the air-tran to start landing to get into position &amp; wet our faces with the water from your canteen," Meldalvyna answers, setting her hand on the door, her hood turning to face me, I knowing that she wanted to go out even though I can't see her face. Nodding, I wrap my hand around the hand opposite the one on the door, setting my other hand on the door as well, taking a deep breath. Pushing the doors open together, we push our way through the crowd- no doubt knocking over a few people on the way- &amp; into the back of the waiting transport zoomer.

"Hey guys, how was your patrol?" Carl asks, a happy tone to his voice once the door of the air-tran closes behind us, cutting off the flashes of cameras &amp; the shouting questions from the paparazzi.

"It was okay. How'd you know we were on patrol though?" Meldalvyna inquires, pulling down her hood &amp; taking a seat. Just as I join her on the bench next to her, the transport zoomer starts up &amp; lifts into the air, the sudden motion almost suprising me with how quick we lift off.

"We passed by the Naughty Ottsel on our patrol when you guys were getting back in your Hellcat Cruiser. Well, I recognized your hood, Meldalvyna," Luke answers for his co-pilot seemingly before the other can even open his mouth to reply himself.

"Hey, I know this is going to be an odd request, but could you guys turn up the heat a little? I'm cold... Dark Eco doesn't help with winter weather very much, Light Eco worse than that when I'm trying to warm back up," I say, giving the first part of the plan's excuse, Meldalvyna glancing at me with a smile on her face.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Hey, I know this is going to be an odd request, but could you guys turn up the heat a little? I'm cold... Dark Eco doesn't help with winter weather very much, Light Eco worse than that when I'm trying to warm back up," Jak says suddenly, breaking the current subject of the conversation with the first step of our plan, I smirking when I hear the key words, as well as the clever excuse, which I don't know if it is true or not.

"Yeah, no problem... You'd think one of them would be hotter than the other though, since Dark &amp; Light Eco are opposites of each other in other regards," Carl says thoughtfully, mystified by the properties of the Ecos, which I still have yet to learn, but could always ask for now that I'm with Jak.

"They're actually pretty similar... &amp; sometimes they're the exact opposites of what you'd think they'd act like," Jak scowls lightly, I clearly able to see his thoughts written on his face, though still unreadable except in the emotion they cause for him, from both scent &amp; sight. Watching him, Jak realizes the awkward, yet curious silence in the vehicle before clearing his throat.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess &amp; say it has to do with your, uhm... Eco personas, right?" Luke asks carefully, not wanting to offend Jak with his prying question. From my position, I swear I see the two pilots tense up, readying themselves for the answer, or for Jak to either ignore them or get angry with them.

"Yeah, it does... my Dark Eco _**persona**_ is cruel, blood thirsty, &amp; twisted, but he can also be kind, protective, &amp; come up with the some of the sanest solutions to certain problems. My Light Eco alter is selfless, strict with anything that is considered 'good', &amp; level-headed, but he can be an ass at times, sometimes a bit destructive, &amp; here lately, I've caught him in secret thoughts that were more or less... perverse," Jak explains, pausing selfconsciously near the end, giving me a quick, barely noticeable sideways glance.

"_Perverse? Is Light thinking about me in THAT way? Nah, must be Dark messing with Light, &amp; Jak's catching Light responding, or thinking of a response_," I think to myself, wondering why Jak had cast me the strange look.

"Huh... that is pretty strange... I guess you can't really blame them though, being stuck with what people expected so much for so long that they decided to change some things," Carl says thoughtfully, a smile evident in his voice &amp; his scent happy.

"Actually, Dark &amp; Light started out like that, except Dark was WAY more violent when I first got him, &amp; Light was WAY more righteous in his 'purity' beliefs when he first came along," Jak says, an odd smile coming to his face that I can't recognize, his scent full of relief, which further confuses me.

"Hey, can you guys drive a little slower today? I'm feeling kinda quesy," I say, winking to Jak with a smile on my face when he looks at me with concern in his features. Shaking his head with a smirk on his face, Jak returns his attention to the front of the air-tran, the tips of his ears turning red, he attempting to hide a blush, anxiety in Jak's scent, most likely thinking of our upcoming joke.

"Sure thing... we'll be there in about five minutes," Luke says, the transport zoomer immediately slowing a little bit. Reclining against the wall of the vehicle for three of the five minutes, Jak &amp; I spend our time trying to redden our cheeks with light slaps &amp; holding our breath. At the four minute mark, I'm working the tips of Jak's ears &amp; whispering random dirty thoughts that pop into my head, Jak massaging my cheeks &amp; whispering to me random things as well, telling me when either Dark, Light, or he himself thought of them.

"You ready?" Jak asks, feeling the air-tran come to a stop before starting to sluggishly decend, his face &amp; ears bright red. Nodding, I grab Jak's canteen &amp; wet my &amp; his face as well as our hairlines a little with the water within it. Once our faces are wet, I stand with Jak &amp; wrap my arms around his neck as he lifts me up &amp; sets my back against the wall of the air-tran, my legs wrapping around his hips, my tail curling around one of his legs. Just as we land, I droop my wings around our hips to hide the fact that nothing is actually going on. With one final smirk, Jak grips my back near my hips, &amp; I set my hands on his back, scrunching his shirt in my fingers, putting a fake scowling-smile on my face, Jak soon following suit.

"Hey guys we're- DEAR PRECURSORS!" Carl shouts out, being the first to turn in our direction, his voice horrified at what he sees. Jak &amp; I acting suprised, I fight the extreme urge to laugh, snarling to keep the amused snort from coming out.

"Whats wro- OH SHIT!" Luke yells, at first wondering why his co-pilot was scared only to blanch &amp; do a full 180, pure terror &amp; embarassment in his scent &amp; voice. Jak growls, his head turned away from the two freaking out pilots, a smirk on his face while a light blush makes his face even redder, his shoulders shaking in subdued chuckles. Right then &amp; there I lose it, a loud laugh ripping from my throat as tears of joy come to my eyes, which in turn causes Jak to laugh out loud as well, his head smacking to a rest on my shoulder.

"Wait, this was a joke?" Carl asks in disbelief as Jak lets me down, our faces red from hysterically howling in amusement &amp; slight embarassment, his helmet off &amp; a lost look plastered on his face, the scent of growing relief coming from him.

"Are you SHITTING ME? Dammit, I'm torn between being pissed &amp; laughing, fuck that was a good one," Luke says his tone angry, his helmoet off as well, but his scent relieved &amp; just as entertained as ours, shaking his head.

"Yes, it was a prank," I answer Carl with a smile, supressing my laughter, trying to keep my voice from hitching in a giggle. A look of relief spreads across his face as a low chuckle begins echoeing from him, face palming a second later.

"It was Meldalvyna's idea, too... she pranked me earlier this morning, literally as soon as I woke up," Jak says, looking at me through his peripheral with a smirk on his face, "shows a person how much I have to watch her."

"Anyways, sorry about it, I just couldn't resist," I appologize with a gentle smile, the co-pilots waving me off a second later.

"Don't be sorry, it was a good one... Just no more like this one. See you two tomorrow, I need to rest after something like that," Luke says with a smile, shooing us out the already open transport zoomer door &amp; into the cold with the scent of embarassment wafting after him.

"Alright, see you two tomorrow," Jak says, grabbing my hand &amp; beginning to walk back towards the house. Turning to walk next to him, we're about ten feet from the vehicle when we hear the air-tran start back up &amp; begin to lift off into the sky.

"By the way, we're gonna get you back some time!" Carl shouts over the engine, Luke being the one steering the transport zoomer, a smirk on his face as the door of the vehicle closes, cutting him off from us before the air-tran flies out of sight over the trees. Looking at Jak, he &amp; I burst into laughter, wondering what our future with those two will have in store for us. Walking to the house in pleasant silence, my mind drifts to how cold I am now, yearning for the warmth of the interior of the house, wrapping my wings tighter around myself.

"_I wonder if Jak would be willing to prank Daxter like that_," I think to myself as we walk into the oddly quiet house, no one in the living room or kitchen, a smirk coming to my face.

"Huh, I can't find your parents, but I found a note from them," Jak says while walking towards me, I not having even noticed he had left my side, a page of parchment in his hand. Taking the piece of paper from him, reading quickly over the Draconian writing, immediately recognizing my stepfather's handwritting.

"It just says that they sent on a winter deer hunt in the deeper parts of Haven Forest, &amp; they had Sparx go on a summer berry trip in the Dragon Realms, &amp; won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. That, &amp; it said we can go out to eat if we like, or make it here," I summarize, looking up from the letter at Jak, a smile on my face.

"Okay...Wait, what does it say on the back?" Jak asks, motioning with a finger towards the opposite side of the paper. Flipping the leaf of parchment over, I read the single sentence quickly, a blush suddenly bursting onto my cheeks.

"It- It says for us to stay out of each other's rooms, &amp; that they know that I was in your room &amp; scared you this morning," I stutter out, embarassment shaking my voice as Jak's face too turns red.

"If they figure out what you did to me after you scared me this morning, &amp; how we just pranked Carl &amp; Luke... We'd be dead," Jak says, a shakey smile on his face, relieved chuckling soon following, the kind that comes after getting out of a possibly deadly situation.

"Yeah, no kidding- either that or you'd have to go back to your apartment... Say, where do you want to eat?" I ask, trying to bring the conversation away from the embarassing subject, feeling- yet thankfully not hearing- my stomach growl at me.

"I don't know, do you want to eat at the Naughty Ottsel again?" Jak asks, leaving the decision up to me. Thinking it through for a few seconds, I come to a conclusion.

"Nah. I like talking to Daxter &amp; Tess, &amp; the food is good, but we haven't really had a meal alone together yet... we haven't even had a date yet. What do you say? I cook a nice dinner for you &amp; I," I suggest with a smile on my face, earning a matching grin &amp; a nod from Jak. Heading into the bathroom, I wash my hands &amp; pull up my hair before walking back into the kitchen. Finding Jak already in the kitchen, I pause as I watch him wash his own hands &amp; dry them off on a nearby handtowel.

"What are you doing?" I ask him, making him jump a little in suprise. Turning to face me, a smile pulls across his lips as he walks towards me.

"I was going to help you cook," Jak answers, loosely wrapping his arms around the small of my back &amp; giving me a light kiss on the cheek. Pushing him away gentley, I smile at him before giving him a light, quick peck on the tip of his nose before wiggling my way out of Jak's grasp, a suprised look on his face &amp; a confused scent coming from him.

"No, I'm going to cook FOR you. What would you like?" I ask sternly, a smile on my face when I turn back towards him, my grin widening when I see him sit at the table &amp; raise a green eyebrow at me.

"You decide, but I do have one question: What am I supposed to do while you cook?" Jak asks in turn, putting me on the spot. Thinking it through for a moment, I glance over at my parents' wine cabinet, an idea coming to mind.

"Well, first, you can choose what type of wine you want to drink, then you can go put on your normal clothes &amp; freshen up a little," I answer with a smirk, pointing out the cabinet to Jak. Looking between me &amp; the cabinet door, Jak gives me a smirk before walking over to said cabinet &amp; opening it, a low whistle escaping his lips as he looks them over.

**Author's Note:** Well, there you go, a chapter with at least a little bit of entertainment value! I hope you liked the chapter, even though it is so short... but in my defense, recent _interesting_ events have happened since the posting of last chapter, &amp; have affected how fast I can get out these things. Also, I recently realized that I was forgetting to include one character, which was Vin! If you are wondering _**WHY**_ I included him, he'll come into a bigger part later (though it will be pretty small). Anyhow, I hope you all have enjoyed the story so far.


	52. Evening Dinner & Playing Metalheads

**Author's Note:** Hello all my readers &amp; welcome to chapter 52 of "Of Two Worlds"! I hope you all are enjoying this story, even with how slow-paced it is... But that is beside the point... Hopefully, the chapters will be getting longer than they were before, considerring that I'm out of school for this school year until August! So who knows, maybe I'll have a huge chapter out soon, granted that it may be a little late though ( XD )! Anywho, on with the story...

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

"Well, first, you can choose what type of wine you want to drink, then you can go put on your normal clothes &amp; freshen up a little," Meldalvyna answers with a smirk, pointing towards a large cabinet. Looking between her &amp; the cabinet's door, I decide that I like her suggestion &amp; walk to the cabinet, smirking at her along the way. Opening the door, I look over all the large- scratch that- HUGE bottles of wine, giving off a low whistle as my eyes travel over them all, counting about thirty different bottles, immediately spotting the ones that Torn &amp; Ashelin had bought, those two being the smallest by far.

"There's so many... Which one is your favorite?" I ask with my head turned away from Meldalvyna, still trying to decide for myself. Hearing Meldalvyna's foot steps approach me, I feel an arm snake around my side as her face comes into view of my peripheral. Looking at her through the corner of my eye, I watch as her eyes scan the wine cabinet, far faster than mine had, her eyes searching for one bottle in particular.

"There it is, the black bottle at the top-right of the second shelf. That one is my favorite," Meldalvyna answers pointing to a jet-black bottle that I hadn't even noticed when I first looked into the cabinet. Reaching up &amp; pulling out the bottle, the weight of the wine glass suprises me a little, being much lighter than I thought it was going to be, even though I can tell it is mostly full.

"_Huh, that makes three things that are suprisingly lighter than what they appear to be_," Light comments thoughtfully, the reflection making me pause in confusion for a portion of a second as I set the large wine bottle down on the dining table, only for Meldalvyna to sweep it up &amp; stick it in the fridge to cool.

"**He meant the door to this house, Meldalvyna's original Dracan armor- which I'm guessing is the appropriate way to describe her armor- and now the wine bottle**," Dark says, answering my silent question &amp; clearing my question as I walk upstairs toward my borrowed room, I now remembering what Light had been referencing, agreeing with my Light Eco alter now that I know what he was talking about. Turning the corner at the top of the stairs &amp; retrieving a set of fresh clothes, I start to head back downstairs to, as Meldalvyna put it, 'freshen up a bit.' Rounding the corner to the bathroom, I nearly walk right into Meldalvyna, carrying two frozen slices of meat in her hands.

"Woah, sorry there. Yakkow meat... what are you making?" I ask, looking over the cold steaks in her hand, feeling hungry at just the sight of the frozen, uncooked yakkow flesh in her grasp. Meldalvyna smirks at me, walking past &amp; turning to face me, the smirk now a full on secretive, slightly excited smile. Looking Meldalvyna up &amp; down quickly- hopefully too quick for her to notice- I supress the urge to smirk at the fact that Meldalvyna has already gotten out of the major parts of her uniform, now wearing only the spandex cloth that goes underneath her armor &amp; a belt with a hip pouch.

"It's a suprise," Meldalvyna answers, a smile on her face until she notices the clothes in my arms, the grin giving way to a curious wrinkle of her brow, "what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go 'freshen up' like you told me to. Thought I could use a good shower anyhow," I respong with a smile of my own, shrugging my shoulders a little, my last statement completely true. Meldalyvna snorts with an amused shake of her head &amp; smile on her face, turning away &amp; leaving me to continue my task.

"**Hey, wouldn't it be just **_**swell**_** if Meldalvyna were to 'accidentally' walk in on us while we were in the shower**?" Dark asks with a lecherous chuckle once I enter the bathroom &amp; lock the door, noticing at the same time I do that the door's lock is a little loose, no matter what I do to it. Shoving the dirty images Dark attempts to give me out of my mind, I start to strip with my back to the door, just incase she Meldalvyna does happen to walk in on me, a slight, but building blush on my face.

"_Dark, that would most likely be rather embarassing for the both her &amp; Jak. For Meldalvyna because she'd SEE us, &amp; for us because we'd be SEEN... though I guess given the circumstances, it wouldn't be that regretted. Who knows, we might find ourselves in a pleasant situation_," Light says just as I step behind the clear glass separating the shower booth from the rest of the bathroom, at first scorning Dark, only to end in a dirty-minded laugh of his own, the statement throwing me off completely, Dark cheering &amp; guffawing in the back of my mind in proud support of Light's remark.

"Hey, I thought you would be on my side of this! That, &amp; I doubt THAT would happen!" I nearly yell out loud, not believing what I'm hearing in my head, both Dark AND Light attempting to put lewd images in my head. Some of the ones that get through making my face redder &amp; redder as I try to ignore them &amp; turn on the shower water, some of the pictures from Dark TAMER than Light's. After pointedly ignoring the two to the point where I have to cut my mind off from their reach, I wash my body &amp; hair, making sure to clean each area as best as I can.

Finishing off my shower &amp; reaching out of the door to grab my towel, I ease up on the mental block between myself &amp; my alters to test the waters a bit. Thankfully, neither one of them start to try to give me any salacious images, &amp; I open my mind the rest of the way to them. Drying off the rest of the way, I put away my towel on a hook on the back of the bathroom door &amp; get dressed. Noticing Meldalvyna's hair dryer on a metal rack next to the bathroom counter, I plug it in &amp; wipe off the mirror infront of me, drying my hair the rest of the way, not wanting to have soaking hair while I eat with Meldalvyna. Pulling on my boots, I give a quick glance at my teeth to make sure they are white before I leave the bathroom with my previous clothes under my arm, quickly heading upstairs &amp; into my borrowed room to drop off my load before returning back downstairs.

Taking a sniff, my mouth waters at the scent at the cooking dinner. Just as I go to round the corner, I just barely catch the sound of Meldalyvna humming &amp; I stop at the corner just before the kitchen &amp; listen, trying to hear her humming the tune again. After a second of tense waiting, Meldalvyna finally starts up again, &amp; her light voice fills the room.

"Nasvalo siiom dai, terno mey dai ka merav," Meldalvyna sings, repeating the verse twice in a almost sad, mournful tone that rips at my heart. Wanting to jump out around the corner to embrace her, I force myself to stay put. Meldalvyna pauses to hum a little more, which I guess is an instrumental between verses, her heel thumping to the beat of the song.

"Terno mey dai ka merav, mey chavve chorrore mukav," Meldalvyna continues mournfully, again repeating the verse twice, but this time singing the last few words once more before going back to humming, stirring the meat on the stove.

"Mey chavve chorrore mukav, mey yakadai ka pandav. Me chavve chorrore mukav, me yakadai ka pandav," Meldalvyna sings twice before fluttering her voice beatifully to the sad song, all before singing a few more times; "terno me dai ka merav."

"Terno mey dai ka maraaaaaaav," Meldalvyna fades softly into silence, ending the song in a soft, barely audible melancholy waver of her voice. At that moment I decide to come out of my hiding place behind the corner &amp; walk up behind her, suprising her a little with a tight hug, burying my face in her hair on the back of her head, making sure to miss her neck spikes &amp; horns.

"What's wrong Jak?" Meldalvyna asks with a laugh after I pull away a little, allowing her to spin around to face me, reaching up to wrap her arms gently around my neck, looking into my eyes, not a single glimmer of desolation in her eyes.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," I respond, Meldalvyna raising an eyebrow in confusion, not knowing what I'm talking about, "the song you just sang sounded sad."

"Oh, that. It is a sad song really, but I don't remember the translation... it's really old, &amp; I learned it form one of the elderly Cheetah women on a trip to the Valley of Avalar with my parents when I was little. I guess it just popped into my mind is all," Meldalvyna says with a warm smile, leaning forward &amp; bumping her nose against mine, pulling out of my grasp a second later &amp; turning back to the stove. Not wanting to leave her side, I step a bit closer &amp; wrap my arms around her waist again, standing between her wings &amp; to one side of her tail, resting my chin on her shoulder. Looking away from the cooking chunks of yakkow steak, Meldalvyna turns her attention to me, an eyebrow raised in silent question of what I'm doing.

"I want to watch you cook," I say, answering her silent inquiry. Chuckling airily at my answer, Meldalvyna shakes her head before returning her gaze to the sizzling pan of meat &amp; stirring it around a little with a long fork. Looking over the gathered items on the counter, I notice a four wooden skewers, four oranges, two tomatos, a package of grated cheese, &amp; a bottle of green olive oil, as well as a few random spices in little bottles. Giving Meldalvyna's sides a light squeeze, I unwrap myself from her &amp; begin to leave the kitchen.

"Hey Jak, my communicator buzzed, could you answer it? It's in my hip pouch if you could get it please," Meldalvyna calls just as I'm about to leave the room, the distinct- nearly silent- buzzing coming from Meldalvyna's direction. Not answering her alloud, I walk back into the kitchen &amp; locate Meldalvyna's hip pouch, opening it once I find it &amp; reading the message on the screen.

"It's from Ashelin... It says that she got good results from most of the people she handed the letters to within the city, &amp; that they want to meet with you as soon as possible to set up what we planned. I'm guessing she meant the public singing &amp; reading by 'what we planned earlier'," I say, summarazing the message from the Governess of Haven City.

"Well, that's good. I'll tell her that- as soon as my parents &amp; double stepuncle come home from their hunting &amp; harvesting trip- I'll come &amp; talk to them personally, &amp; will probably have to bring my parents along," Meldalvyna says, covering the now barely sizzling pan with a lid, moving to slicing &amp; peeling the oranges with her tailblade.

"Hm, so we're probably going to get a lot of media attention when it comes to getting your parents into wherever they plan to speak with you &amp; your parents," I say, watching as Meldalvyna finishes with the oranges, washing her tailblade before moving to the tomatos, slicing them into fourths. Washing her tailblade again, Meldalvyna dries the naturally occuring weapon &amp; lets her tail drop behind her as she sets the tomato slices on a small broiling pan covered in tin foil.

"Yeah, that might be a problem... But who knows, maybe the masses will end up liking the idea of having the creatures of pleasant bed time stories... if what the shop keep we got the clothes you bought me from is telling the truth that is," Meldalvyna says with a light chuckle as she opens the package of shredded cheese &amp; spreads its contents across the tomato slices. Taking one of the random bottles of spices, she shakes a little of it across the dish before popping it into the oven, grabbing another bottle of spices &amp; shaking a little bit of it onto the steak pieces.

"Hopefully they will like you guys," I comment as I put her communicator back in her hip pouch. Seconds later, Meldalvyna takes back out the pan of tomatoes &amp; sets the broiling pan on the counter- the cheese now melted on the tomatos- before opening back up the steak's pan &amp; turning off both the stove &amp; the oven, the scent of the now finished dinner filling the room &amp; making my mouth water.

"Exactly... Would you be a dear &amp; get out the plates?" Meldalyvna asks as she busies herself with sliding bits of steak &amp; orange slices in a one-to-one pattern on the wooden skewers. Obliging, I get out two plates &amp; two wine glasses &amp; set them on the counter near Meldalvyna before going to the fridge to retrieve the bottle of cooling wine. Pulling the bottle of wine out of the fridge, I return to the glasses I left at Meldalvyna's side &amp; fill each glass with the dark black wine, the liquid almost eerie with its light-swallowing property.

"Here we go, a glass for each of us," I say once finished pouring the glasses of wine, setting the glasses on the dining table across from each other before returning to Meldalvyna's side, she putting two kebabs on each plate, followed by four slices of tomato on each plate as well, pouring a little of the green olive oil across the cheese-covered tomatos. Turning to me, Meldalvyna picks up both of the plates, handing me one of them. Walking together to the dining table, I set my plate down next to one of the glasses of wine before walking quickly back around to Meldalvyna's side &amp; pulling out her seat for her. Looking up at me with a smile as she takes her seat, I push her closer the table before returning to my seat directly across from hers.

"Remember when you first brought Daxter, &amp; I made the kebabs? I thought you'd like them again, but this time I made it a little spicy, so watch yourself with those. Also, the cheesy tomato slices are a favorite of mine that I had here when I was around thirteen... I was walking through the bazaar on my way back from a shopping trip my parents had sent me on, &amp; a vendor gave me these for free... The wine is my favorite, &amp; its fruity-ness drowns out the alcoholic taste &amp; scent," Meldalvyna says as I glance over the meal layed before me, a reminiscent smile on my face at the kebabs, remembering the day Meldalvyna first met Daxter with clarity, the memory of the food's taste still potent in my mind.

"It all smells &amp; looks delicious," I say, looking up to Meldalvyna with an appreciative &amp; happy smile on my face, taking in her beautiful, glittering black, dark blue, &amp; red scales around her face &amp; neck, taking in the stunning shine of her blue-rooted, red hair. The rest of the dinner goes in quiet, pleasant conversation over the table, talking about past adventures &amp; humerous mishaps in full-hearted laughter.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

After dinner, I take our dishes- as well as the pans used to make the meal- &amp; wash them, much to Jak's displeasure, his reasoning that he should have cleaned up since I made it all by myself. Ignoring Jak's protest, I continue to clean &amp; tell Jak to just relax &amp; find something to do while he waits for me to finish up, to which he grudgingly walks off towards the living room, head hung low &amp; thumbs in his pocket.

"He's so sweet... But Ancestors can he be stubborn," I think to myself, a smile on my face as I fill up the sink a quarter of the way with water, shaking my head a little. Minutes later, I finish my job of cleaning, drying, &amp; putting away the dishes, glasses, &amp; pans. Leaving the kitchen, I look around the living room to find it deserted. Suprised a little, I walk upstairs &amp; look in Jak's &amp; my room to find both empty. Now a little worried, I rush back downstairs, this time following Jak's scent out the door, not bothering to grab a jacket to keep warm.

Thankfully, it isn't dark outside, but I can tell that night is closely approaching. Deciding to make the search a bit faster, I lift into the air, the height from the ground not affecting my abitlity to track Jak's scent, the smell of his scent still clear as day to me. Flying over the yard &amp; pond behind my house, I can't see Jak anywhere, still following just his scent a little into the forest just past the outer edge of my yard, towards the UniPortal. Just a few seconds of slow flying above the edge of the forest, I catch sight of Jak on the left side of path to the UniPortal, stooping over something on the ground, his eyes on something in the woods. Deciding to take a closer look without letting him know I'm there, I allow the Shadow in me to come forth before diving down to the limbs of a tree only a few feet above Jak &amp; between the path &amp; him, trying to see what he's looking at, the dark flames of the Element hiding me &amp; my scent from Jak &amp; whatever he may be looking at.

"What is he doing?" I ask myself mentally as Jak rolls a round rock that had been in his hand a little into the tree line across the ground swiftly, the stone going out of my line of sight as it disappears in the ferns &amp; grass along the side of the path. Just seconds later, the rock comes rolling back out of the underbrush, thumping quietly against one of Jak's boots. Jak lifts an eyebrow in slight amusement, his eyes flicking between the stone resting against his foot &amp; the thing that returned it. Sniffing the air for clues, I pick out Jak's scent, the smell of the slumbering trees &amp; foliage, &amp; one other thing, though I can't quite figure out what it is.

Watching as Jak bends back down to retrieve the rock, I think over what the mystery scent could belong to as he rolls it back to whatever rolled it at him, the smell familiar, in a slightly bad way, sending shivers down my spine. Suddenly I hear whatever it is take a few steps forward, the mystery bipedal by the sound of its steps through the plants. Jak tenses a little, only to smile a little when the stone comes back into view, this time tossed above the underbrush to thump down &amp; roll to Jak's foot again. Changing position, I finally catch sight of what is entertaining Jak &amp; nearly fall off my branch in suprise &amp; slight horror.

Standing just inside the tree line is a small Rapid Gunner, watching Jak as if waiting for him to toss the rock back, the scent of slightly fearful curiosity &amp; amusement coming from the young Metalhead. Jak picks up the rounded stone &amp; gently tosses it back. The Gunner looks between the rock &amp; Jak, the scent of happiness &amp; excitement coming from the little creature before giddily tossing back the stone. Jak lets a small chuckle escape him, picking back up the rock &amp; tossing it to the Metalhead, who catches it with its small hand-like claws, a happy sounding, purr-like growl coming from it followed by a delighted series of hops.

"It just wants someone to play with... huh," I think to myself with a relaxing exhale, watching the two begin to throw the stone a little higher each time, which ends up forcing Jak to catch the rock before it can hit him in the chest, a smile slowly building on my face as a small smile forms on his. Suddenly, the Metalhead stops throwing the stone to Jak, &amp; instead turns its head &amp; makes a small noise, Jak visibly tensing at the sound, which makes me worried. Just seconds later, another young Metalhead pops into view- this one a small Centurian- followed by three other small Metalheads. Jak tenses even more as they join the young Rapid Gunner, &amp; I prepare to dive down &amp; defend him.

Looking between the newcomers, I take note of each kind of adolescent Metalhead, counting five in total; one Rapid Gunner without any armor, a single Centurian missing its distinctive shield band, a Slinger with misformed armor &amp; feet, one Scout with dragon-like wings sprouting from its back, &amp; a single Grunt without no metal on either shoulder. The young Rapid Gunner makes another sound to the new Metalheads while motioning with one of its arms to Jak, before returning its attention to him, the Grunt &amp; Scout standing on their hind legs to match the rest of their group. Gently, the Rapid Gunner tosses back towards Jak, the round rock landing at his feet. Jak looks between the stone &amp; the group of Metalheads infront of him before slowly stooping down to pick up the rock before tossing it back at the Rapid Gunner, it catching it in its claws.

The new Metalheads all give off the same, cheerful sound the Rapid Gunner had made just minutes before, chirping wildly, a massive wave of the scent of happiness coming from the group of Metalheads. The Rapid Gunner then passes the stone to the Centurian, who takes it happily from it before giddily tossing it to Jak, nearly overshooting Jak by a few feet above his head, Jak jumping to catch it. Not even a second after Jak lands he tosses the rock back to the Centurian, who catches it &amp; passes it to the Slinger. The lithe, young Slinger takes a second to carefully aim, throwing the stone underhanded to Jak, who catches it with ease before returning it.

"He's playing with adolescent Metalheads... He'd be great with young ones," I think to myself with an amused, pleasant smile, imagining him playing with the little drakes in Warfang, the cubs in the Cheetah village in the Valley of Avalar, &amp; the pups in the Wolf village in the forrests of Tall Plains. Watching as the Slinger passes the rock to the Scout, I relax &amp; supress a chuckle, allowing my guard to drop a little- though not by a lot- &amp; enjoy the scene before me. The Scout gives the stone a good throw to Jak, who nearly gets hit in the face with the rock before tossing it back with a suprised laugh. The winged Metalhead snorts a little, baring a little of its teeth in what looked oddly like a triumphant smirk with the smell of amusement in its scent before handing the stone to the Grunt.

The Grunt makes the happy chirping sound before gently tossing the rock to Jak, who catches it with ease. Jak softly throws it underhanded back at the Grunt, who catches it, though a little shakily on its hind legs. The Grunt pauses, looking at the stone in its paws for a few seconds, tilting its head side to side, obviously in thought. Looking back up to Jak &amp; the other Metalheads, the Grunt rubs the small round rock on the base of its neck before going around to the others, repeating the motion on each of them. The Metalheads all then turn their attention on Jak, the Grunt attempting to hand the stone back to the Rapid Gunner. The Gunner instead pushes the Grunt's rock-wielding paw back towards the- now aparently youngest- Metalhead, nodding towards Jak with its head. Jak tenses as the Grunt turns towards &amp; begins to walk slowly to Jak, its stance &amp; pace slow, just as nervous as Jak is. When its just a few feet away, the Grunt extends an arm, displaying the stone infront of Jak, as if asking him to take it. Cautiously, Jak takes the rock from the Metalhead, the Grunt- as well as all the other Metalheads- gives off a high pitched, happy chirp.

Suddenly, the Grunt takes a quick series of steps forward &amp; I nearly leap off my branch, ready to rid the world of the young Metalheads around my man, just barely able to stop myself, awe taking me at what I see unfold. The Grunt wraps its arm-like front legs around Jak's waist, hugging him &amp; burying its face in his stomach, Jak looking down wide-eyed at the Metalhead embracing him, the other Metalheads beginning to make the snorting sound the Scout had earlier, the scent of happiness &amp; amusement coming from them. After a few seconds, the Grunt releases Jak from its hug &amp; taps the Jak's stone-holding hand twice, warmth in an odd, smile-like lip curl, pressing Jak's fingers around the rock. Suddenly, an alarmed trill comes from the Slinger, all of them whipping their attention towards me before running off into the thick of the trees &amp; disappearing, leaving Jak looking up at me.

"Mel, you scared them off," Jak says, his voice sounding dazed, most likely still suprised by the hug from the Grunt, but mockingly scornful- not really angry- &amp; just amused.

"I didn't even realize I had let go of my Shadow," I say with a guilty smile, swooping down from my branch &amp; landing on two feet just infront of Jak.

"Let go of your shadow?" Jak asks, raising an eyebrow at me. Instead of answering his question, I raise an eyebrow at him, giving him my best 'just think about it' look. After a second, Jak realizes what I had meant &amp; smirks before draping an arm around my waist, pulling me a bit closer, while also looking at the stone in his opposite hand.

"I wonder why they gave it to you," I say quietly, joining Jak looking at the rock, trying to come up with reasons as to why the Grunt would give Jak the stone.

"I think they wanted me to keep it... Who knows, maybe they're expecting me to play again some time," Jak says, observing the rock for only a few seconds more before stuffing it in his pocket, removing his arm from my side to wrap his hand around one of mine. As we begin to walk back towards the house, a question pops into my mind, one that I'd like an answer to from Jak.

"Jak, why were you out here?" I ask, stopping both of us, Jak turning to look at me, his smile fading a little for a second, only to be replaced by a smirk that said it should be obvious why he was out here.

"Well, you told me to go find something to do while you cleaned," Jak answers, pulling me along the path back to the house, a smirk on his face.

"I didn't tell you to go outside &amp; find some Metalheads to mess around with," I say back, a little annoyed, only for Jak to smirk even wider. Jak stops us this time, looking at me, shaking his head at the same time.

"I just went outside to sit near the pond. That's when I heard a sound in the woods, &amp; followed it. I just happened to catch up to the group of Metalheads," Jak says in defense, his smirk fading to a gentle smile, realizing that I am completely serious.

"But you didn't tell me you were going back there... You made me so worried," I say, remembering the drowning feeling of concern I had a while ago- not knowing where Jak was- &amp; shuddering a little at the memory of the feeling.

"Sorry Mel... I didn't realize that I would make you that worried. I won't do it again, I promise," Jak says, wrapping his hand around mine &amp; pulling me along the path towards the house again. Smiling in relief, I walk a little closer to Jak, he letting go of my hand to wrap his arm loosely around my waist as we approach the house. For the few minutes it takes to get back into the house, we walk in pleasant silence, though not without haist, the cold of the near night finally biting enough at us to want to move faster.

"So, what do we want to do now?" I ask, looking at Jak as we sit on my couch together, Jak's arm draped cautiously across my shoulders, avoiding the spikes on the back of my neck. Jak gazes at me before shrugging his shoulders, not having any suggestions. Suddenly, Jak's eyes light up as he looks at the piles of pillows before going towards the stairs, a smile forming on his face.

"Hey, remember the night where you dumped us both into the pond, &amp; we fell asleep on a makeshift bed made of these cushions &amp; those pillows... we could sleep here tonight... the note said nothing about sleeping in the living room," Jak answers, looking at me with an excited smirk on his face. Looking between him &amp; where I last left the note, I smirk widely, agreeing with Jak, jumping up off the old couch, pulling a slightly caught off guard Jak along with me.

"Okay, I'll go upstairs &amp; grab a few blankets from each of our rooms, &amp; then I'll help you set up the cushions &amp; pillows," I say, Jak nodding in agreement, after which I rush off upstairs, running into my room &amp; grabbing my two comforters &amp; two of the heavier blankets from Jak's borrowed room. Rushing back downstairs, I drop the blankets on the ground, helping Jak set up the makeshift bed on the ground before covering the set up with the thinnest blanket I had picked up.

"Okay, what do you want to do now... It's not even that late," Jak inquires, plopping down on his rear ontop of the bed of pillows &amp; couch cushions, looking up at me with a smile on his face. Pausing for a moment, I consider my options before coming to one particular decision.

"I'll go take a quick shower then put on my pajamas. In the meantime, you can do whatever you please- but you better tell me where you're going first- &amp; put on your pajamas... after that, we can just relax together, maybe snack on things in the house or talk, whatever pleases you," I say, Jak nodding before pausing to think himself. As I begin to walk upstairs to retrieve my pajamas &amp; a clean pair of underwear, I find myself being followed by Jak. Turning to him, I raise an eyebrow in amused question.

"What, I'm going to put on my night clothes," Jak says with a laugh before turning off towards his room. Laughing at my own suspicions, I shake my head &amp; grab what I need from my room &amp; go back downstairs into the bathroom. Getting into the shower after stripping, I let my mind go blank as I speed through my cleaning, not wanting to keep Jak waiting for very long. What feels like fifteen minutes later, I step out of the bathroom, my body clean &amp; my hair slightly damp &amp; in a loose braid, adorned in my annoyingly tight pajamas. Stepping out of the hall, I see Jak waiting in his loose wife-beater tank top &amp; baggy shorts with a bowl of sliced fruits &amp; two glasses of my favorite, dark black wine.

A pleased smile stretches Jak's lips when he notices me approaching, his eyes going down my body so fast I almost miss it, picking up my glass &amp; handing it to me as I sit down next to him. Grabbing a piece of fruit from the bowl &amp; popping it in my mouth, I turn to Jak &amp; smile when he scoots a bit closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist while taking a sip from his glass, the dark liquid staining his lips a dark, almost black, mauve. With a smirk, I realize that I'm going to enjoy a quiet night of just enjoying listening to eachother talk, with a slight possibility of a hangover the next morning.

**Author's Note:** Well, that was one long chapter! I hope you all liked it, as I've been entertaining the Metalhead part for a while now, &amp; decided to finally include it... something about seeing a baby Slinger Metalhead in my imagination is just too adorable to ignore. Also, the song used in this chapter is "Nasvalo" by Beats Antique (which is just an adaptation of a really old song), &amp; yes I realize the Roman spelling may be wrong, but I was just going off of memory &amp; what I felt it should be spelt like, as I had seen the- what I believe is- semi proper spelling of it on a video that I just can't find anymore. Anyhow, I hoped you all liked this extra long chapter, &amp; I hope to hear from you (for my improvement of the story, ideas you readers have, etc.), this is tigerdj98 signing off until next chapter!


	53. Morning Messups & Visiting Vin

**Author's Note:** Hello all my precious readers, &amp; welcome to the fifty-third chapter of this here story! Now, I bet you are all wondering why this chapter is posted so early in the month... the simple answer is this; I have a week long trip coming up this month (the 17th through the 25th). Yes, I understand it shouldn't have affected the posting schedule for this chapter, BUT it would affect the scheduled release of chapter 54, which would have to come out on the 26th, which is the day after I get back from my week-long trip.

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

The loud beeping of my communicator's alarm wakes me with a start, my eyes snapping open as I feel a form shift next to me. Sitting up onto an elbow &amp; looking around, I see two empty, darkly stained wine glasses &amp; one single empty bowl, glancing down to see Meldalvyna shifting her position a little before remembering that I had spent the night in the living room with her. Searching with my eyes for the agitating comm. unit, I turn over &amp; away from Meldalvyna's warmth &amp; finally spot the thing. Picking the little device up, I shut it's alarm off before setting it back down where I got it from. Turning back to Meldalvyna, I give her shoulder a slight shake, her eyes opening sleepily, a smile gracing her lips when she realizes it's me who is waking her. Sitting up, Meldalvyna gives me a light, good morning kiss before stretching her arms above her head &amp; her wings out behind her.

"So, are we ready to start the day at work yet?" I ask with a smirk while Meldalvyna supresses a yawn, rolling her shoulders back. Meldalvyna's eyes move to glare at me, a sudden frown replacing the pleasant smile that had been there just a second ago. Laughing, I take the look as a 'no' before sitting up the rest of the way myself. Before I can sit all the way back up, Meldalvyna's hand reaches out &amp; stops me, looking at me with a small smirk on her face, her pupils round, but starting to become slits.

"Just a few more minutes," Meldalvyna whispers as she pushes me back down before lying down next to me &amp; lying on her side &amp; snuggling up against me. Again I try to sit up, only to be held in place by Meldalvyna. Lying there in defeat for a second, I try to think of a way to convince Meldalvyna to get up. After about a minute or two, I finally remember something Meldalvyna had said she wanted done the day before.

"Hey Mel, what about sending your communicator to Vin's so he can change the language to Draconian?" I ask her, nearly getting shoved off the side of the makeshift bed as Meldalvyna launches herself from the bed of cushions. Before she can run up the stairs, Meldalvyna comes to a sudden, harsh halt, whipping around with an expression of eager &amp; zealous confusion on her face.

"What are you waiting for?" Meldalvyna asks in a rush before darting up the stairs, the sound of her feet thumping up the staircase until it suddenly stops, accentuated by her bedroom door slamming shut. With a chuckle &amp; a shake of my head, I stand from our bed of cushions &amp; walk up the stairwell &amp; into my room. Just as I close the bedroom door, I feel my Eco alters wake up.

"**So, you spent the night in the same bed as your sweetheart... knowingly this time**," Dark says, a lecherous smirk evident in his voice. With a scowl, I ignore his concupiscent snickering &amp; start to get out of my tank top &amp; shorts &amp; into my uniform &amp; suit of armor.

"_Dark, if you are going to tease Jak, at least wait until he's a bit more awake_," Light scorns, a small smirk in his voice as well. Now deciding to not only ignore Dark, but Light as well, I finish getting into my work clothes &amp; walk out of my room &amp; back downstairs. Looking around the corner &amp; into the kitchen, I don't see Meldalvyna at the kitchen table. Walking out of the stairway &amp; into the kitchen I look around the corner where the stove is &amp; see Meldalvyna at work- already dressed in her Freedom League Uniform &amp; armor, missing only her hood- a pan on the stovetop, the smell of sizzling sausage just now hitting my nose. After a second or two, Meldalvyna finally notices my presence &amp; smiles at me before going back to watching the sausages cook.

"Hey Mel, you go sit down. You cooked a delicious dinner for the both of us last night AND cleaned up afterwards, so now it's my turn," I say as I approach her &amp; gently push her away from the stove, a soft, insistant grin on my face.

"I've got it, it's fi-"

"No, go sit down &amp; rest. I've got this under control," I interrupt, pushing her softly out of the cooking area with one hand, the other already flipping one of the sausage patties, "do you want eggs with this?"

"Ugh, fine... and no thanks," Meldalvyna says with a sigh before walking off out of the kitchen. Shaking my head with an amused smile, I turn my attention back to the stove top, I flip over the second sausage patty before setting down the spatula &amp; finding two plates &amp; two slightly powdery pairs of breakfast buns. Splitting the breakfast buns, I set each pair in the small toaster oven face down &amp; turn it to a light toasting setting. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turn my head to see Meldalvyna watching me with a barely visible grin on her face, her hair now brushed out &amp; wavy from being in a damp braid all night, I softly smiling back at her.

Returning my attention to the pan of cooking sausages, I hear Meldalvyna's footsteps come closer &amp; feel her hands rest on my shoulders, her chest to my back, her face coming into view in my peripheral. Feeling a coy smirk come to my face, I supress the urge to ask her what she's doing. Suddenly, I feel her tail wrap its way around my leg as her hands retreat from my shoulders, only for Meldalvyna to wrap her arms around my chest from underneath my arms. An involuntary shiver runs up my back at this new level of closeness, her face burrying into my hair on the back of my head, all of the images that both Dark &amp; Light had tried to force me to see yesterday in the shower resurfacing in my mind as I try to force them all back out again. Trying to ignore the sudden feeling of anxiety, I take the sausage pan off the burner &amp; set it on the cold one next to it, flipping the sausages again so they don't burn.

"What's wrong Jak, feelin' a little nervous," Meldalvyna asks in a low whisper, her breath ghosting across the back of my neck, followed by a dark chuckle before growling in my ear, "that's perfect."

Suddenly, the toaster oven dings, signifying that the two breakfast buns are finished toasting. Supressing the great urge to sigh in relief, I attempt to break Meldalvyna's hold &amp; take the toasted breakfast buns from the now off toaster oven only to find myself completely held in place.

"Mel, breakfast's ready... I just need to put it together for us, &amp; after we eat we need to leave," I say, trying to keep the tension out of my voice, not wanting her to know that she's making me nervous. Meldalvyna exhales in disappointment, immediately releasing her grip on me, her arms unwinding themselves from my chest &amp; her tail leaving my leg, her footsteps leaving my side &amp; going away a small distance, the sound of a chair sliding out &amp; creaking hitting my ears a second later. Taking the breakfast buns out of the toaster oven, I set each pair down on a plate, picking back up the spatula &amp; using it to put the still hot sausage patties on the buns before dropping the utensil in the sink. Turning back to the still unfinished meal, I set the top buns on each breakfast sandwich &amp; walk with both plates in hand to the kitchen table. Setting one down infront of Meldalvyna, I set one infront of my seat before joining her at the table. We eat in silence, I watching Meldalvyna with slight worry, fearing that I had upset her by calling off her- what I'm going to assume- teasing.

"Okay, so the plan is I leave my parents's comm. units here with a note telling them which one is theirs &amp; that I'll teach them how to use it once I get home. After that, we head to work, I send my communicator off to Vin via Torn, &amp; we have a normal day of work before coming back here," Meldalvyna says while standing from her seat, a small smile on her face as she walks away from the table &amp; puts her plate in the sink, I finishing my breakfast just seconds after her &amp; following her, making sure I wash the dishes instead of her.

"Okay. You just do what you need to, I'll be done in a minute or two with these, then I'll go brush my teeth &amp; hair," I say as I wash the plates free of crumbs &amp; grease. Meldalvyna hums in agreement before walking off, I listening to her footsteps turn down the hall &amp; fade out of my range of audibility. Just seconds before Meldalvyna exits the bathroom I finish washing the pan &amp; spatula used to cook the sausages, putting the pan in the drying rack behind the plates &amp; the spatula in a small cup attatched to the side of the rack. Drying my hands on a washcloth, I walk down the hall, making sure to smile at Meldalvyna as I pass her on my way to the bathroom.

"_I think you may have messed up our chances with Meldalvyna today, Jak... no signs of affection today for you_," Light says sounding almost upset, yet also like he was mocking me.

"Hey, that also means none for either of you!" I retort angrily in my head as I begin to brush my teeth. If anyone had been in the bathroom with me, they would've been able to tell my alters had annoyed me, my scrubbing intensifying irately.

"**True, but since YOU made her stop- &amp; we did nothing- SHE will want nothing from YOU today**," Dark says with a taunting snarl in his voice, making a very obvious point that I hadn't really considered. Deciding right there to ignore any further degrading comments from my Eco alters, I finish brushing my teeth &amp; hair. Walking out of the bathroom with fresh breath &amp; neatened hair, I go out of the end of the hall &amp; look into the kitchen, noticing the two Cynder &amp; Spyro-sized communicators with a note underneath each. Not seeing Meldalvyna anywhere in plain sight, I turn my attention to the living room, spotting her on her couch.

"You ready to go Jak?" Meldalvyna asks with a pleasant smile once she notices my presence, standing with her helmet underneath one arm, her other arm holding my helmet out towards me as I myself nod in agreement. Walking towards Meldalvyna with a smile on my face, I take my helmet from her &amp; wrap my opposite hand around hers &amp; walk with her outside &amp; into the frigid winter morning air.

"Mel... did I upset you this morning?" I ask after a second, both of us deciding to use the Jet-Board like we did the day before, my conscience- as well as what Dark &amp; Light said- getting to me.

"No, not at all... I was seeing how far you'd let me go, but I wasn't thinking about work at all really when I was messing with you," Meldalvyna answers with a reassuring smirk, playfully bumping me with one of her wings.

"Why didn't you say anything at breakfast then?" I ask as I pull my Jet Board out of my single-strapped rucksack, looking at her with a bit of concern &amp; a raised eyebrow. Meldalvyna's eyes widen for a second in suprise before the expresion fades to one of slight disappointment.

"I realized how I was acting, &amp; what my intentions implied... then I thought of what would happen if I was caught teasing you like that, &amp; what my parents would have done. I kind of dwelled on the fact they could kick you out &amp; bring me back to Warfang," Meldalvyna answers, the look of disgust &amp; sadness on her face, her eyes downcast. Activating my Jet Board &amp; tossing it on the ground, I stop the device with my foot before wrapping Meldalvyna in my arms, hugging her close to me.

"How 'bout we go to work &amp; get those thoughts out of your mind. Hey, maybe I can get Torn to let US deliver your comm. unit to Vin instead of him sending it," I suggest softly with a comforting smile, the look of building sadness on Meldalvyna's face pulling at my heart. Luckily, Meldalvyna's face lights up as she nods eagerly, a bright smile on her face while I kneel down infront of her, she climbing on my back &amp; wrapping her arms, legs, &amp; tail around me. Stepping onto my Jet Board, I shift her weight on my back before zipping off down the trail towards our rendezvous with Carl &amp; Luke.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Rushing inside the Freedom League Head Quarters, Jak &amp; I pause just inside the building to catch our breaths momentarily before continuing on to where we clock in, I pulling down my hood, everyone in the Freedom League now familiar with my face. Walking with Jak first to where we clock in &amp; out, I follow him then to Torn's office, ignoring the sudden craving for coffee. Knocking on the door, we wait only a second before the Cheif of Arms calls us into his office, pulling open the entry &amp; going inside.

"You two... are you here to give me your communicator?" Torn asks, turning his attention from the both of us to just me, the tall pile of paper on his desk threatening to tip over any second catching my eye.

"Actually, I was hoping we could deliver the comm. unit ourselves, &amp; I could introduce Meldalvyna to Vin as well, then return to start our patrol," Jak answers for me, eyeing me with curiosity as I continue to distractedly &amp; unintentionaly stare down the stack of papers, worried about the possibility of them all falling to the floor.

"Well, if our mission with getting the public to accept the Dragons goes smoothly, we'd need to contact him anyhow... You have until one o'clock to start patrolling, knowing Vin he'll ask you so many questions you'll want to repeatedly smash your head on a wall," Torn says after considerring Jak's answer for a second, dismissing us with a distracted wave of his hand in the direction of the door, nearly swatting the pile of paper down on accident.

"Okay, thank you sir... Is there anything particular about Vin that I should know about?" I ask, tearing my attention away from the dangerously balanced stack of paper to look at Torn with an expression of curiosity &amp; desire for prior knowledge.

"First off, he's a computer that powers the city. Second, he's a bit jumpy from the war with Baron Praxis, Metalheads, &amp; Dark Makers, so be slow &amp; make sure to make _**no sudden movements**_," Torn answers with a rough chuckle towards the end, comparing Vin to a frightened crocadog. Jak laughs quietly beside me, obviously agreeing with Torn's dry humor.

"Thank you Torn, see you around," I say as I lead Jak out of the office, wanting to leave before the pile of paper can topple over &amp; ruin Torn's day with having to make sense of a massive mess just waiting to happen. Torn nods his goodbye before returning to his work, I closing the door just as the stack of paper begins to tip over. A loud, angry &amp; suprised yell echoes out of his office just a second later, I already shoving Jak down the hall towards the entrance to the building. Jak looks back towards the office with suprise before looking at me, a concerned eyebrow raised.

"Huge pile of paper fell, I saw it just start to fall as we left," I explain quickly as I continue to push Jak down the hall. Jak laughs as he picks up the pace, I no longer having to shove him as I join him at his side. About fifteen minutes later, we land our covered Hellcat Cruiser at our destination, Jak being the first to jump out after the vehicle shuts off, walking around to my side of the zoomer in order to help me out.

Making sure my hood is still effectively hiding my face, I accept Jak's help, hopping the small distance from the Hellcat Cruiser to the metal ground. Looking up from my landing spot, I take a quick glance around, Jak pulling me gently along as I commit the image of the place to memory. Jak stops just infront of the door before punching in a quick code in a small number pad just to the left of the door, the door sliding open a second later. Jak looks back at me with an encouraging smile on his face before pulling me into the building after him. Looking around, I stare in wonder as the huge computer continues on its job, jumping a little as a large blue hologram of the head of an older-appearing man with glasses strapped around the bases of his ears &amp; some form of strange hat that's so tight it compresses his hair to his head suddenly appears out of nowhere.

"Hey Vin, it's been a while, how are you?" Jak greets, smiling up at the large floating hologram head, making it clear that Vin was infact a computer program, &amp; not an actual computer like Torn had told me.

"Fine, I guess- a little lonely being the only person that takes care of these computers all day- but fine... Who's that?" Vin asks Jak with a nervous sounding voice, his hologram swiveling to look at me, the eyeless- yet oddly still very lively human- face giving me, what I will assume is, a curious &amp; cautious look.

"Huh, maybe I should go get some of our tech people from the Freedom League over here to help you out at least a little... anyway, this is Meldalvyna. You'd probably be more familiar with her though if you've seen the recent news concerning me lately," Jak answers, placing a hand on my shoulder &amp; giving it a light squeeze, breaking his concentration on Vin to look at me with a soft smile. Vin looks at Jak in thought for a second, his hologram head bobbing in what I can only guess is a nod.

"Oh hello... WAIT, you mean she's the winged lady on the news lately?!" Vin stutters out in suprise &amp; sudden realization, turning his attention straight to me, his entire virtual expression pulled back in suprise &amp; what I swear is a little fearful awe. Slowly, I answer for Jak with a small series of nods, remaining silent, deciding to only speak when spoken to, realizing that it'd be best if I followed my plan of silence.

"O-oh. Meldalvyna, was it? Do... Do you mind taking down your hood, &amp; showing me your wings? If you don't mind," Vin asks, his voice shakey &amp; nervous with a small hint of excitement mixed in.

"Are you sure? I heard you can be a bit... jumpy," I say softly, not wanting to suprise the hologram head, sincerity in my voice. Vin's head nods slowly up &amp; down twice, an expectant look on his face.

"I'll be okay... can't have a heart attack any more, now that I'm in this thing" Vin smiles shakily, I now realizing he wasn't afraid at all, his nervousness just in his nature &amp; affecting his speach. The statement makes me raise an eyebrow, but I leave my question as to why he'd have to worry about a heart attack only to my mind to ponder, not wanting to make his day any harder than it already is.

"Okay, I'll take down my hood... Jak, could you help me with the coat once my hood is down?" I ask, turning to Jak with hope of help in my voice, knowing that I always make a fool of myself when I go to take the false coat off my wings by myself. Jak nods with a smile on his face, answering my question with a silent signal. Turning back to Vin, I reach up &amp; pull my hood away from my face to my shoulders slowly, gradually revealing my Draconian facial feature to the computer.

"Oh my... Wha-what are you, if you- if you don't mind me asking?" Vin shakes out as Jak moves behind me, pulling at the buttons that secure the false coat to the collar &amp; extra-wide sleeves. Vin's holographic head pulls back a little in shock as the wing-covers are finally removed &amp; he catches sight of not only my wings, but my tail as well.

"Well, the proper term is a Dracon- but Dragon is just fine- but I am actually a hybrid between Dracon &amp; Human. My mother is a Draca, or Dragoness as you'd probably say, &amp; my father was human," I say, suddenly feeling comfortable in the hologram's interested &amp; curious gaze, realizing that seeing his head's hologram would be no different than seeing a magic projection of the New Age Chronicler Ignitus in an Elemental gem.

"A HYBRID?! How is that even possible, our genetic codes should be so different we shouldn't even be able to make a hybrid between our species, but you're here! Did you know your father? How old are you? Do you mind if I take a blood sample?!" Vin stutters out excitedly, the holographic head zooming to within just a few feet of me, making me jump backwards into Jak in suprise.

"She never knew her father, he died before she was born. She's 19 &amp; turning 20 this month. What do you want a blood sample for?" Jak says, answering every question for me except the last, coming up with a question to combat Vin's last question, the scent of defense rising thickly from Jak as he stares down the blue projection floating in the air infront of me.

"Jak, calm down, it's okay... but, he's right, what do you want my blood for?" I ask, turning from comforting &amp; calming Jak to asking the same exact question, though not nearly as offended by the small request as Jak had been.

"Well, a multitude of things can be found from your blood sample. For example, I can figure out how much of you is human; tell you if you can have children, many hybrids cannot have children due to the genetic codes of their parents being so far apart; possibly tell you who your father was, that sort of thing," Vin answers shakily with a triumphant smile on his face, happy to divulge any information onto me in order to convince me into giving up a little of my blood. Thinking through the possibilities for a second, I glance at Jak, who is hostily staring down his boots, a small patch of red on the cheek I can see, the tell-tale look on his face that suggests he's conversing with his Eco alters in his head.

"I wonder what they're talking about in there," I think to myself, resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow &amp; ask Jak Dark &amp; Light were telling him at the moment. Looking back at Vin, I finally come to a decision.

"I guess I could wouldn't mind losing a little bit of blood if it means I have the chance to figure out THAT much about myself &amp; a chance at knowing who my father was," I say, answering Vin's earlier request to sample my blood, Jak's head snapping up to look at me with an expression of suprise, only visible to me through my peripheral.

"O-okay! Here, have a seat... don't worry, this won't hurt all that much, it'll feel like a hard pinch for only a second when the needle goes in &amp; when it comes back out, &amp; it won't take very long to get the amount I need," Vin says with a smile on his face &amp; in his voice as a platform comes from somewhere above me &amp; stops just next to me. Taking a seat on the metal platform, a small device comes from somewhere above me as well. A strange object with a long, thin spike on it spins out of the device, which is what I assume is the needle. Infront of me, I see Jak suddenly pale a little while looking at the needle before turning his gaze away from it, the scent of anxiety coming off him in waves.

"Jak, what's wrong?" I ask, concerned at this new, sudden attitude, Jak's eyes turning towards me in a frightful expression, his mouth set in a disgusted grimace, looking like he was ready to turn &amp; leave or vomit any second.

"It's the needle. I... I don't do to well with needles," Jak answers before turning his gaze away from me, his ears twitching in a way that make it look like the appendages were trying with no avail to flatten themselves against his head.

"He's afraid of needles? Must be from his time in prison getting Dark Eco put in him, the experience scarred him for life. No wonder he was so defensive when Vin asked to take a blood sample," I think to myself, at first curious, then feeling sorry for him. Standing, I walk up to an unsuspecting Jak &amp; hug him from behind while wrapping my tail around one of his legs, rubbing his chest with a hand, trying to calm him down. Jak turns to me, the nervous expression still on his face before smiling softly at me, his scent calming &amp; his breathing slowing to a safer pace.

"I'll be okay, you'll be okay... I get why you don't like them, but this needle aren't _**those**_ needles, &amp; this needle won't hurt me all that much, like Vin said," I whipser with a soft smile before giving Jak a light kiss on the cheek that I hope Vin can't see, walking away a second later back to the metal platform &amp; taking a seat. To my suprise, Jak follows me to my seat, sitting on the side opposite the needle, wrapping his hand around mine, eyeing the thing with a cautious glare.

"Whe-when you're ready, expose your inner elbow to me so I can prepare the injection point with a steralizer... to keep you from getting sick," Vin stutters in a soft tone, not wanting me to get nervous at the sight of the needle as well, seeing how Jak had reacted to the thing. Nodding, I pull my sleeve up to my shoulder for good measure, following Vin's orders exactly. A small puff of white, wet cotton appears out of a hole on the device bearing the needle &amp; rubs a small spot on the inside of my elbow. Jak's hand tenses around mine as the needle suddenly comes within a few inches of my arm, fear beginning to come in small waves from him, I squeezing his hand in return to try to calm him down.

"Okay, I'm going to count to three, &amp; when I reach three, I want you to cough," Vin says before starting to count slowly, "one... two... three."

I cough hard, feeling the needle go into my arm between the soft scales of my inner elbow, the sensation just a little bit different than what Vin had said, but not as painful as I'd imagined it to be. Minutes later, Vin counts to three again &amp; I cough again, the needle coming out a little more painful than it had been coming in. After that, Vin applies a bandage over the small bleeding area on my inner elbow &amp; tells us to come back in a few hours for the results while setting my communicator to my native written language. Surely enough, a few hours later while Jak &amp; I are on patrol, I get a call from Vin &amp; answer it.

"Meldalvyna, you won't believe what I found! It turns out, your father had a daughter, meaning you have a human half sister!"

**Author's Note:** Dun dun duuuunnnn! So, I guess you all are going to have to wait until next chapter to see who this mystery half-sister is, &amp; I hope you all liked how I introduced Vin... I think I could have done a bit better, but it IS kinda hard to wright for a character like Vin when he's no longer human, or alive, &amp; is only in 2 games of the entire series. Also, I appologize for the relatively boring first half of this chapter... it's hard to write an entertaining filler for half a chapter, ya know? At least I made Mel be a little mischevious in Jak's half of the chapter... Also, please tell me what you think of my making Jak afraid of needles! Do you think he'd be afraid after all the s#!t he went through with the things? I also appologize to anyone who is indeed afraid of needles, as I am as well... believe me, it made me a bit jittery when describing the needle myself. Anyhow, again, tell me what you think of Jak's fear of needles, &amp; see you in chapter 54 of this story, tigerdj98 signing off!


	54. Family Ties

**Author's Note:** Hello readers &amp; welcome to chapter 54 of this here story! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoy writing these chapters for you readers... Sure, sometimes writing these chapters are a drag (like when I don't feel like typing the chapter, or I just don't have a good idea to make the chapter interesting), but in the end I always feel good &amp; hope that it's making many other people's day a bit more interesting &amp; just a bit more full of curiosity. I appologize for not posting on the day I was supposed to, but an eight-day long trip got in the way of that. Anyhow, enjoy the story!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

"Meldalvyna, you won't believe what I found! It turns out, your father had a daughter, meaning you have a human half-sister!" Vin's voice stutters excitedly through Meldalvyna's communicator, almost echoing in the Hellcat Cruiser. Meldalvyna's jaw drops in disbelief, eyes widening in an unreadable emotion, her entire form tensing.

"A... A human half-sister? Are you completely sure Vin?" Meldalvyna asks softly after a second, her voice wavering with what sounds like fear, a frown slowly digging trenches into her facial features. Deafening silence encases the zoomer as we start a third round since we left the Power Station a few hours ago as Vin obviously spends some time to re-look over the results of Meldalvyna's blood test.

"Yes, I'm completely sure... I've separated the human DNA from the Dracon DNA in your genes, traced the human DNA to your apparent father, whose name was Jackson Metzgyr, &amp; he- if these records are correct about him- had a daughter," Vin reports in answer to Meldalvyna's question, Meldalvyna's face slowly becoming more &amp; more unreadable, an emotion in her expression that I've never seen &amp; can't name smoking across her face.

"We'll be there in a few minutes to hear your full report, including all the other things you promised to find out through my blood," Meldalvyna says with a slight growl before hanging up on Vin, stuffing the comm. unit angrily into a pocket in her false jacket before tensely returning to her position she had before she got the call. After a second of me looking at her with worry, Meldalvyna's head snaps toward me, her pupils somewhere between rounded &amp; slitted.

"What are you waiting for? We need to get to the Power Station ASAP," Meldalvyna sneers, though I can tell by her face her sudden anger isn't directed at me... and possibly might not be anger at all, but anxiety towards what will come. The few minutes it takes to get to the Power Station at a little more than legal speed goes in silence, Meldalvyna's eyes staring intensely forward the entire time, the only time I can't see the green orbs being when she pulls up her hood.

Getting out of the Hellcat Cruiser, I rush to Meldalvyna's side of the vehicle &amp; open her door for her before she can open it herself, I helping her down a second later. Nearly as soon as her feet touch the ground, Meldalvyna strides up the ramp towards the door to the Power Station &amp; I have to jog to keep up with her.

"_Jak wait! Stop Meldalvyna, there's another zoomer at the door, &amp; it's a three-seater_," Light calls out in the back of my mind just as Meldalvyna goes to punch in the code that I had taught her before we left to go on our patrol, I noticing the vehicle as soon as Light utters the vehicle's presence. Rushing to Meldalvyna's side &amp; pulling her hand away from the number pad, I point out the other, green &amp; yellow zoomer sitting not too far away from the door. Meldalvyna's hood turns towards me with radiating anger before realizing what I am directing her attention to, even the material seeming to stiffen with fear.

"You need to calm down Mel. It will be okay, if it is your half-sister in there, I will be there for you, for better or worse," I say, setting a hand on her shoulder, looking at her through the visor of my helmet. Meldalvyna's tense muscles deflate a little as I watch as the cloth around her chest begin to slowly move in &amp; out, her supposedly calming breaths audible from her hood, the scent of her mint toothpaste still powerfully intact on her breath.

"Thank you, Jak. I'm ready to go in now," Meldalvyna says after a second or two of calming herself down. Nodding, I take wrap my fingers around hers &amp; let her type in the final number of the entrance code. Together, we walk through the door &amp; into the warm interior of the Power Station. Walking across the short bridge over whatever lay below onto the main platform of the room, my eyes land on first Vin's holographic head floating near a part of the room, then on the woman &amp; toddler sitting on another lift suspended from somewhere above us all.

"O-oh! There they are!" Vin says once he notices our presence, a smile on his face while simultaneously moving out of our line of sight of the woman &amp; her daughter. I give the woman a quick scrutinous look-over, committing her image to memory just in case I ever see the woman again &amp; need to tell her anything pertaining to her half-sister. The first things I notice about her are her dirty-blonde hair &amp; how the woman is only a little shorter than Meldalvyna, she already standing &amp; looking at us.

"Meldalvyna, this is your half-sister Carolyn Jayms. Carolyn, this is your half-sister Meldalvyna Elindrea," Vin says after a second of near silence in the room, the only thing breaking the quiet being the occasional beeps &amp; whirrs of the computers as well as the play &amp; babble from the toddler. Slowly, Carolyn approaches us as we begin to walk towards her as well, Meldalvyna extending her hand towards Carolyn once the two are close enough.

"Hello Meldalvyna... So, I hear from Vin here that you aren't exactly normal when it comes to appearance. That you're a- a hybrid," Carolyn greets shakily after letting go of Meldalvyna's hand, staring into the dark void that is the opening to Meldalvyna's hood with her grey eyes, the stony orbs flecked with hints of blue &amp; green.

"Hello Carolyn... &amp; yes, I am in fact a hybrid. So, do you remember much about- uhn, Jackson Metzgyr- like how he acted, what he did, things like that?" Meldalvyna asks awkwardly after returning Carolyn's greeting &amp; answering her question.

"Yeah, I was six, almost seven when he died, so I remember that he was a great dad... Vin told me how, apparently he died from a massive &amp; eventually fatal concussion after a mission for the Underground back when Baron Praxis first started going corrupt," Carolyn replies as she &amp; Meldalvyna start to walk back towards the lift she had been sitting on just moments ago.

"**He worked for the Underground? How long did Baron Praxis have control over this damned place before we took him down**?" Dark asks with an astonished growl, voicing my silent suprise &amp; disbelief.

"I knew what he died from, but I had no idea he worked for the Underground... apparently the night he died is the night I was conceived," Meldalvyna says with nervousness in her voice, she &amp; I both watching Carolyn's expression closely for any signs of disgust or remorse.

"Really?" Carolyn asks quietly, surprise in her whispered question.

"Yes, my mother found him bleeding badly from the temple &amp; flew him to the nearest place that had his scent lingering on it &amp; set him down in front of the door after knocking hard on the entrance before hiding in the shadows. Once they came out &amp; found him, she managed to slip in behind them &amp; follow the others unnoticed into a room. She vowed to watch over him &amp; make sure he made it out alright, but that ended up being a bad idea. He came to, apparently delusional, &amp; took hold of my mother, holding her down &amp;... and then the rest is history," Meldalvyna answers slowly, deciding awkwardly in the middle of her recount of Cynder's story of Meldalvyna's coming to existence to stop it at that point, hurt in her voice.

"Are you saying that my dad slept your mom the last day he was alive? How is that even possible?!" Carolyn growls out in question, refusing to yell probably for her child's sake.

"The hell if I know! _MY _mother told me he was severely delusional when he- _OUR _father- _RAPED _her, calling out some woman's name, probably _YOUR _mother, the entire time! Do you think I want to be some half-dragon half-human freak getting ridiculed for even existing?! Do you actually believe I WANTED to hear all the names all the Draco children called me, as well as all the things people are probably calling me now?! My own mother doesn't like the fact I'm half human, the only one who does is Jak, that man right over there! You want to know why, _**sis**_? It's because he's the only damned person in this entire city who can even come CLOSE to understanding what it's like!" Meldalvyna growls in return, ripping down her hood in anger, whispering her rage &amp; trying not to yell it, pointing at me in her tirade of spiteful self-hatred. Carolyn eyes widen at the revelation of Meldalvyna's snarling face, I noticing her pupils slit in rage. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the toddler has gone completely unaware &amp; unafraid of the storming women behind her, playing quietly with her toys

"Mel, calm down," I say quietly, only for Meldalvyna to whip her attention at me, the snarl still on her face for a moment before slowly fading to an expressionless look, sadness radiating from her eyes.

"I'm... I'm so sorry Meldalvyna... I had no idea that he had done that," Carolyn says softly, her eyes focused on Meldalvyna, scared, yet filled with sympathy, before refocusing on Meldalvyna's hair; "you have dad's two-color hair... but his was black &amp; blond."

"Jackson had bicolor hair?" Meldalvyna asks, her rage suddenly gone, her fists unclenching completely &amp; a strange, blank look sweeping over her face. Carolyn nods softly, Meldalvyna slowly starts approaching Carolyn &amp; sits next to her. Deciding to follow her, I sit on Meldalvyna's opposite side, the closest to Carolyn's little girl. The little girl looks up from her toys at me, a smile on her slightly freckled face, before looking over to her mother, &amp; finally coming to a halting stop on Meldalvyna. The little blonde toddles over to Meldalvyna, her hands going straight to Meldalvyna's knees for support. The toddler's bright blue eyes stare into Meldalvyna's green surprised ones, a curious look on the little girl's face.

"Oh, this is my daughter Orianna, she's three &amp; a half," Carolyn says, picking up the little blonde-haired girl &amp; setting the girl on her lap, "so I guess that makes you her half-aunt…. It looks like she likes you."

"H-hey Orianna," Meldalvyna says awkwardly as Orianna stands from her mother's lap &amp; walks towards her, grabbing Meldalvyna's horns with curiosity in her eyes. Orianna strokes her thumbs up &amp; down each of Meldalvyna's horns &amp; down Meldalvyna's cheek, feeling the texture of her scaled skin &amp; smooth horns before moving to pet Meldalvyna's hair.

"Sorry, she's a bit touchy-feely," Carolyn apologizes for her daughter as said child returns to playing with Meldalvyna's horns, testing the sharpness of the tips with light taps of her fingers.

"It's alright, I understand. Hey, do you mind if I remove my wing covers? I bet she'll love those…. I also have wings, &amp; I'll get out a cover sheath my tailblade. Jak, can you help me with my wing covers?" Meldalvyna asks me after getting an agreeing nod from Carolyn, standing up &amp; out of Orianna's curious reach &amp; turning her back to me, moving her hair out of the way. Obliging to Meldalvyna's request for help, I remove her wing covers as she gets into the pouch on her hip &amp; takes out her sheath for her tail blade.

"Wow, your wings are huge," Carolyn whispers in amazement as Meldalvyna puts on the sheath of her tailblade. Meldalvyna simply grins as she comes back to her previous seat next to the dirty-blonde haired woman, I sitting on her other side just like last time. Orianna's eyes widen in wonder as her small hands begin to roam Meldalvyna's wings &amp; play with her tail, squealing in annoyance when she can't undo the sheath's straps on Meldalvyna's tailblade before giving up &amp; returning to playing with Meldalyvna's hair, horns, &amp; wings.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

As Orianna returns to playing with my hair, wings, &amp; horns, I look at her mother Carolyn &amp; commit her image to memory, as well as attempting to memorize her daughter's appearance when I can see her, wanting to remember each of them well enough to describe them.

"Do you mind?" Carolyn asks suddenly, her hand floating just above one of my wings, a sheepish look on her face. It takes me a second to realize what she's asking, &amp; I have to resist the urge to facepalm.

"Not at all, Jak plays with my tail every once in a while, as well as my friends from Avalar &amp; Tall Plains," I answer with a smile &amp; a single nod. Slowly, Carolyn's hand descends onto my wing's spine, her face brightening in wonder &amp; pleased surprise, her other hand coming up to feel my wing's membrane.

"Interesting feeling isn't it? Smooth yet rough, cool yet warm," Jak comments softly with a grin on his face, watching Carolyn's face bounce between various expressions. Carolyn's gaze leaves my wings to look at Jak, a small smile coming to her face as she nods in silent agreement.

"So, are you two actually dating, if you don't mind me asking?" Carolyn asks after a second of stroking my wings, pausing in her surprisingly relaxing, curiosity-inspired investigation of my wings &amp; horns, looking up towards Jak &amp; I with a slightly nervous scent about her. I glance up at Jak with a bit of concern in my eyes before looking back at Carolyn, trying to decide whether or not to answer her question truthfully or not.

"Why does it matter to you?" Jak asks just as I open my mouth to speak, his voice curious, not rude like one would expect the question he asked to be said. Carolyn pauses for a second, looking between Jak &amp; I, a sheepish glimmer taking her eyes by storm.

"Well, I'm just curious. I don't see anything wrong with it if you are in a relationship. Love is love, no matter how you look at it, at least that's what my mother tells me... I bet she'd love meeting you, she loves the old tales of dragons, &amp; to meet one, I don't know what she'd do," Carolyn answers with a smile on her face, the mentioning of her mother throwing me off for a little bit.

"If that's how you feel about it, I guess I can tell the truth. Yes, Jak &amp; I are 'dating'... Now, what was that little bit about your mother?" I ask, the small mention Carolyn made of her mother not leaving my mind alone.

"Oh, that's great! No need to worry about me saying anything to anyone else, I'm no blabber mouth, I promise. I think you two look good together anyway! Anyhow, my mother used to tell me- what then I thought were just fairytales- stories filled with dragons. My favorite one was how at one point the dragon world &amp; all its inhabitants &amp; the human world with all its were once one. That is until the youngest Precursors &amp; the most powerful dragon forsaw a terrible future if our worlds were to stay together, &amp; they combined their power to separate the humans &amp; the dragons, as well as their respective allies onto different sides of the planet &amp; pulled the two halves apart, leaving a scar on each planet as a reminder of the old alliance. My mother used to tell me the long version of that story every night for as long as I can remember up until I became a teen," Carolyn explains with a smile on her face, her hand subconciously drifting to playing with the part of my tail curled in her direction, her daughter playing with my wings.

"That story isn't false, you know... on the dracon side of the UniPortal, there is a place known as Dante's Freezer, &amp; there are humans there, who yes are dead, but they still move &amp; can attack. My stepfather had to fight a few of them when he was young to get to one of his mentors," I say with a smile on my face, Jak &amp; Carolyn's expressions both going to pure shock.

"What's a UniPor-"

"There are humans on the draco side of the UniPortal?!" Jak asks in loud surprise, interrupting Carolyn's question with his own, disbelief in their eyes. Frowning at Jak for interrupting Carolyn, I shake my head at him &amp; decide to answer Carolyn's question first.

"The UniPortal, Carolyn, the only link that the Dracon Father left between our worlds, &amp; is powered by the magic of the dracons, but can still be used by the humans &amp; others here, as long as they use the correct sequence of crystal energies. And yes, there are some undead remains of humans on the draco side of the UniPortal, as well as ghosts, &amp; what I believe to be ancestors of your yakows. The only place that I've heard the bodily ones reside are in Dante's Freezer, where their bodies were preserved by the cold. However, there are a lot of ghosts of humans in the oceans where the ape pirates used to roam- near the seas at the edges of Shattered Vale &amp; Malefor, at the untouched forrest at the mouth of the poisonous Silver River- but usually only on the pirates' ships," I answer the two, Carolyn's question having the shortest answer &amp; not leaving my tongue &amp; lungs exhausted.

"I thought Malefor was the name of the Dark Master, the dragon that controlled your mother," Jak says, confused at my mention of the evil, first purple dragon's name.

"It is, but it is also a name of the region surrounding the Mountain of Malefor, also known as the Well of Souls. Malefor WAS once a noble dracon of high regard when he was younger, after all. It is a dark land, &amp; I've had nightmares of that place, though I've never actually seen them myself... the Chronicler is always generous with his warnings of places to not go until the time one is powerful enough to survive," I explain grimly, images from these supplied visions &amp; following nightmares resurfacing in my mind &amp; making me frown. Shaking my head, I put the wicked pictures &amp; thoughts out of my mind &amp; put on a smile. Thankfully, Jak takes in &amp; understands what I meant, slapping himself on the forhead a second later for not realizing 'of Malefor' entitled both the dracon-made mountain AND the region, a barely audible 'duh' whispering from his lips.

"I have really only a few questions left to ask you, do you mind if I ask them?" Carolyn says after a second, finally finishing absorbing all the information she could about my home side of the UniPortal.

"Not at all, what is it you'd like to ask me?" I answer with a question of my own, an encouraging smile on my face. Carolyn smiles softly with a little excitement in her eyes, pulling her daughter away from my wings- not without a small, quick struggle- &amp; sitting the little girl on her lap so she can put a hat over Orianna's bright golden hair.

"One: do you think you could tell me more about dragon history. Two: would you two like to come over to my house to meet my husband &amp; mother, if you can get it through with your boss of course? And three: do you think I- &amp; my mother because I know she'll love you no matter what, she loved the old stories- could meet your family?" Carolyn asks in one quick breath, a nervous yet hopeful grin on her face, holding a fidgeting Orianna in place. I can't help but smile at my half-sister's curiosity in my family &amp; heritage, as well as offering me an experiance with her own family.

"Yes, I will tell you as much as you'd like to know about dracon history. Yes, you &amp; your entire family are free to come over to my home, just be warned that I am only the height I am because I am half human, my mother &amp; step father are far taller than I, &amp; are actually much too tall to fit through the door to this building. Jak, would you like to go to Carolyn's home for a greeting of her family?" I answer Carolyn before turning to ask Jak one of the questions Carolyn asked me, a smile, shrug, &amp; nod from my love being my answer. Carolyn smiles &amp; laughs in happiness, pulling Jak &amp; I up with her after she sets Orianna down in order to stand herself.

"Oh-okay, th-that was eventful... &amp; Meldalvyna, you are about 50.9 percent drag- I mean dracon- &amp; 49.1 percent human, meaning you are m-more dragon than human, but o-only by a little bit," Vin says, making everyone- save Orianna who was back to playing with my tail- jump a little in surprise, having forgotten about him in our lively conversation.

"Sorry Vin... kinda forgot you were here, even though this is your place," Jak says with an apologetic laugh, rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously after running his fingers through his hair sheepishly.

"I-it's alright. M-Meldalvyna, there's more I found out about you, but I'm sure the rest you'll want to hear in private," Vin says quietly. I nod before following the floating head to the other side of the room, Jak following just behind me. I glance at Jak for a second after we stop, trying to tell him to go away for a second without actually saying anything, but he remains anyhow.

"W-well, it turns out you c-can have kids, which is an amazing ability considerring y-you are a hybrid, a-and most hybrids are s-sterile. Actually, y-you are extremely fertile, more so than the average human woman... Wh-which I'm guessing has to d-do with you being part dragon," Vin says quietly, an excited tone to his voice. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Jak raise his eyebrow for a second before his eyes widen &amp; he turns away from me, the scent of anxiety on him, his tense stance telling me something had embarassed him, I guessing it to be Dark talking to him in the back of his mind.

"Thank you Vin. Do you think you could find out if my father- Jackson Metzgyr wasn't it- had any siblings &amp; tell me sometime later?" I ask, thankful for the little bit of news Vin had for me- though I admit I don't think Jak should have heard it, he still having his back towards us- though still curious if I have any more human family.

"G-gladly Meldalvyna. Any friend of Jak's is a friend of mine!" Vin says with a smile before his holographic image of his head floats away from us &amp; back towards Carolyn. With a smile after the floating head, I walk behind Jak &amp; set a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him when he jumps a little at my touch, looking at me with a smile of his own, though forced.

"So, I'm going to call Torn &amp; ask if we can go meet up with Carolyn's family, you just go keep those three company... Also, has Vin always been a computer?" I say as we begin to walk towards the three congregated near the door, asking the last part in a whisper so Vin doesn't hear the question.

"No, Vin once was a person. Just minutes before I discovered Kor was the Metalhead Leader, there was a transmission that... well, I heard some of his last few moments as human. He had been attacked in the Power Station, &amp; somehow managed to- dump as he would say- his brain into the computers before his body could cut out on him," Jak answers grimly, looking at the holographic head of the once-man as we approach the three waiting at the door.

"So what you're saying is that his brain is somewhere in here, hooked up to a bunch of wires, &amp; that's why it only shows his head?" I ask, not completely sure what I am trying to ask at all, too many thoughts running through my mind to pick one out properly.

"No, video calls used to do the same thing when you wanted an entire room to see your face, but his brain being somewhere in here, I honestly have no idea... Once, we had to hook Daxter up to the computer so he could kill off viruses attacking the systems, ones that Vin couldn't handle himself, &amp; Daxter just sort of disappeared from infront of me, no wires at all coming out from anywhere," Jak answers, a strange expression on his face as the memory surfaces in his mind, his lips set in a firm, yet not angry, grimace.

"Hey, we ready to go?" Carolyn asks once we reach the group waiting at the door.

"No, I still have to ask our boss if we can. He might make us wait until after our hours are up for today," I answer before Jak can say anything, a smile on my face as I pull my communicator out of my hip pouch. Calling Torn quickly, I get a confirmation on being able to go with Carolyn to meet her family after Jak's &amp; I's hours are up. As soon as our patrol is up, Jak &amp; I return to the Power Station to meet up with &amp; follow Carolyn &amp; her daughter Orianna back to her home.

"Honey, mom, we're home!" Carolyn calls out as we walk into her home, waiting just inside the door.

"We're in the kitchen!" a male voice calls out from another part of the large apartment. Following Carolyn who leads us to the kitchen, Jak &amp; I exchange a quick glance- though Jak can't see my face underneath my hood- before looking at the two new faces situated in the kitchen.

"Jak, Meldalvyna, this is Aindreas Jayms- my husband- &amp; Sollana Metzgyr, my mother. Mom, honey, this is Jak &amp; Meldalvyna. Meldalvyna is why I was called to the Power Station, she's my half-sister," Carolyn introduces cheerfully, a smile on her face as she motions respectfully to the man &amp; older woman in the room, both sitting at a wooden table in the center of the kitchen until we enter.

**Author's Note:** I appologize for this chapter being so late, but in my defense, I was away on an eight-day trip, all of which I couldn't get to a computer to work. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I hope to get out the next chapter on its actual scheduled date of release, which is the tenth of next month. Again, if any of you have any suggestions or helpful advice, I'd love to hear it, just don't flame me! Well, again, sorry for being so late in posting of this chapter (even though I had a long trip to a different state where I couldn't get to a computer), &amp; I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd also like to hear from you readers, &amp; if you look up two specific places listed in this chapter, you'll all be glad to find out that they ARE mentioned in one of the games that I have based this story off of, &amp; the first to respond about the correct two places mentioned in this chapter, you will get a special mentioning in the next one! Anywho, tigerdj98 signing off!


	55. Meeting the Family & Getting Examined

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone &amp; welcome to chapter 55 of the story: "Of Two Worlds"! I hope you all enjoyed last chapter, &amp; I again apologize for how late last chapter was, but in my defense, I WAS gone for eight days without ANY access to a computer or other device that had internet (I need music while I write) I could have used to type my story. Well, with that out of the way, I'd like to thank **chrisbm100** for favoriting &amp; following this story, as well as being the first to leave a guess at the two places I hinted at in the last chapter! Anywho, on with the story!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

"Jak, Meldalvyna, this is Aindreas Jayms- my husband- &amp; Sollana Metzgyr, my mother. Mom, honey, this is Jak &amp; Meldalvyna. Meldalvyna is why I was called to the Power Station, she's my half-sister," Carolyn introduces happily, a cheery smile on her face as she signifies each person respectfully, both the man &amp; the older woman sitting at a wooden table in the center of the kitchen. Aindreas &amp; Sollana both stand, walking from their seats to shake our hands with pleasant- yet forced- smiles on their face.

"Hello, I'm Aindreas, as my wife said. Why don't you take off your helmet &amp; hood &amp; take a seat?" the husband asks with a friendly smile as he shakes my &amp; Meldalvyna's hands. Looking over the man quickly as we shake hands, I try to get a feel for what he does in the city. Aindreas is just a little bit taller than me, pale skinned-like he is inside a lot- with no suggestion of getting a tan or sunburn, &amp; buzz-cut strawberry blond hair. Unable to tell anything from his dress &amp; appearance, I remove my helmet as he turns away from me, Meldalvyna keeping her hood up. Aindreas, not noticing Meldalvyna's denial to remove her hood, sits down next to his mother-in-law, a strange expression coming over his face when he looks at me.

"What's wrong dear? There is no need to feel self-conscious, family is accepted as they are in this house, no matter what," Sollana says with a kind smile as Meldalvyna &amp; I take our seats across from the husband &amp; grandmother, the type of smile that I'd imagine a mother would have towards a little kid or relative, Carolyn sitting next to her husband at the head of the table.

"Actually ma'am, my appearance most definitely is something to be self-conscious about," Meldalvyna says in return, earning a confused glance from both Sollana &amp; Aindreas before the two both look to Carolyn for explanation. It takes Carolyn about a second to realize she is being looked at by everyone in the room, swallowing nervously at the request to answer the silent question as to why Meldalvyna won't remove her hood.

"W-well, you see. Meldalyvna is... Meldalvyna is the dragon lady that's been on the news lately," Carolyn stutters out anxiously, looking at her husband &amp; mother uneasily, awaiting their reactions.

"Really? Let me see dear," Sollana says with a hint of a mixture of excitement &amp; disbelief, a small, nearly invisible smile on her face, setting a hand ontop of Meldalvyna's, making her jump a little with the sudden contact. Glancing over at Aindreas, I notice a shocked look spread across his face, &amp; feel a little anger towards him, while also hoping he will accept Meldalvyna as she is. Slowly, Meldalvyna removes her hood, the shadow leaving her face revealing her downcast green eyes. Sollana &amp; Aindreas gasp at the same time, a giddy, toothy smile ripping across Sollana's face as Aindreas's expression fades even further into the awed, untrusting look.

"You weren't kidding... So your my wife's half-sister? How is that even possible?" Aindreas says with a slightly disgusted tone &amp; look on his face, drawing everyone's- save Orianna's, who had left the room for another a few minutes before- attention to him, asking both Meldalvyna &amp; Carolyn questions. I clench my fists while staring at the only other man in the room, trying my best not to glare or growl at him.

"**You know what you should do? You should go over there &amp; teach him not to speak or look at her like that**," Dark snarls in the back of my mind, tempting me with his suggestion.

"_No Jak, do not listen to Dark. Though I too do not like the way Aindreas spoke to Meldalvyna, or the disrespectful expression on his face when he looks at her, I do not think we should start a fight, especially with their child &amp; Carolyn's mother in the room_," Light says quickly, trying to calm me down &amp; make me think of a different way to approach the situation.

"Well? How's that even possible Meldalvyna?" Aindreas says, small hints of repulsed venom in his voice, the smallest, barely even noticeable tinge of a appalled frown visible on his face. Unable to hold back all of my anger any more, I glare at Aindreas with hell to pay in my balled fists- only for Carolyn to take care of it for me.

"Aindreas, be nice," Carolyn hisses venomously at her husband, punching him lightly in the arm before turning her attention to her mother, "mom, please brace yourself, the news isn't light."

Sollana nods, a curious &amp; cautious look to her eyes as she shifts in her seat, unknowingly readying herself for Carolyn's news of terrible infidelity upon her mother by her father in his last hours, though he was delusional.

"The last day that dad was alive he... he cheated on you with Meldalvyna's mother- raped her mother actually- but he was delusional from what would be a fatal concussion, &amp; died a few hours later," Carolyn says quietly, giving Meldalyvna a guilty looking glance that clearly said that she is sorry for having to tell someone Mel didn't know. Sollana's eyes seem to immediately cloud over as she looks at Meldalvyna, a slight expression of betrayal in her eyes, while a look of disbelief washes onto Aindreas's face.

"How does an mortally wounded, delusional man rape a dragon?!" Aindreas asks, anger &amp; stubborn incredulity flaming in his form &amp; expression. Unable to hold back my anger any more, I snap at the man, standing so quickly &amp; angrily I knock the chair over behind me.

"The same way someone rapes a normal girl, how the fuck else?! Meldalvyna's mother was around the same size as Meldalvyna is now when it happened, &amp; wasn't even half as strong as Meldalvyna is currently. It's not like it's Meldalvyna's or Cynder's fault Jackson decided to have his way with Mel's mother, you ass. And just because someone's head hurts, doesn't mean it stops them from doing anything else," I snarl viciously at Aindreas, looking him dead in the eyes as I allow some of my Dark Eco to spark lightly across my skin, giving him the message that I didn't like the way he had been talking, "miss Sollana, I appologize for my rude language &amp; behavior just now, but I will not stand for someone talking down to Meldalvyna like that. For one, she is royalty in the Dracon society, &amp; for another, I am with her, both as a co-worker in the Freedom League, &amp; in love."

Sollana, Aindreas, &amp; Carolyn visibly tense, their eyes wide with barely hidden fear, looking between each other, Aindreas giving me the same strange look that he had when he first saw my face ghosting across his mug.

"Hey, you're that guy that got that Baron Praxis guy &amp; the Metalhead Leader out of the city! I can't believe I met you! Jak, I'm sorry for disrespecting you &amp; your... girlfriend, honest!" Aindreas exclaims, recognizing me with a fit of excitement so sudden it catches me completely off guard &amp; makes me lose my train of thought to the point where all I can do is nod in agreement.

"Precursors, you're right, I didn't realize that until you said it! And here I was, thinking this entire time that you looked a bit more familiar than you should have been," Carolyn concurs, a huge smile on her face &amp; an ecstatic look in her eyes.

"Jak, I understand how you feel, dear. Though I do feel like I've been betrayed by that old dog Jackson, I will not let it affect my opinions of you two. Jak, you mentioned the name Cynder. Is that Meldalvyna's mother?" Sollana asks me, a kind- yet oddly empty- smile on her face as she looks between Meldalvyna &amp; I, I picking up my seat before answering her.

"Yes, Cynder is Meldalvyna's mother's name. Carolyn asked us earlier you &amp; she could come to meet Meldalvyna's family, &amp; I just wanted to know if you would want to go. The only thing Meldalvyna &amp; I'd have to do is ask Cynder &amp; Spyro- Meldalvyna's step father- if it is alright with them," I say, suggesting to Sollana the question Carolyn asked us earlier. Sollana's eyes widen in excitement, looking between Meldalvyna, Carolyn, &amp; I with an ecstatic smile on her face, nearly bouncing in her seat with joy.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

"Yes, Cynder is Meldalvyna's mother's name. Carolyn asked us earlier you &amp; she could come to meet Meldalvyna's family, &amp; I just wanted to know if you would want to go. The only thing Meldalvyna &amp; I'd have to do is ask Cynder &amp; Spyro- Meldalvyna's step father- if it is alright with them," Jak says, looking at Sollana as he paraphrases what Carolyn asked Jak &amp; me earlier. The scent of excited joy rips off of the old woman in waves &amp; a wide grin graces her face as she looks between Jak, Carolyn, &amp; I, almost seeming to bounce in her seat.

"Of course, I would love to go! Meldalvyna dear, do you mind if I ask a few things, about dragon history &amp; other things of the like? I was a mythology major &amp; teacher in my younger years, before Baron Praxis came to power that is," Sollana inquires, a hopeful tone to her voice as she looks at me with an encouraging smile on her face.

"Funny, your daughter asked me the same thing. I will, but it'd probably be better if my mother Cynder told you about Dracon history," I reply with a nod &amp; a smile of my own, knowing that my mother has more knowledge about Dracan history, folklore, &amp; legends than I could ever hope to know.

"Dracon? Is that what your kind is really called?" Aindreas asks, his choice of words &amp; tone a little harsh, but I shrug it off. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Jak warily as he tenses slightly &amp; a barely visible frown sets on his face.

"Well, I am a hybrid so I don't have a 'kind', but yes. Males are called Draco, females Draca- well, adults are called those anyway- and the general term for both genders is Dracon. But, saying 'dragon' is just as acceptable, well I think it is anyhow," I answer quickly, Sollana nodding as she takes in all the information, a curious look on Carolyn's face.

"You never told me this," Jak says with a quirked brow- unknowingly stopping Sollana from saying something- looking at me with an almost bored seeming expression on his face.

"Well, you never asked," I say in return, giving him a smug smirk before returning my attention to my &amp; Jak's hosts.

"Dear, I don't mean to intrude on your privacy towards your own body, but do you have wings &amp; a tail?" Sollana asks quickly, so as to not be interrupted again.

"Of course. Jak, please help me again with my false trench jacket," I say with a smile, deciding to show Sollana &amp; Aindreas the limbs. Jak obliges &amp; stands from his seat as soon as I do, walking behind me &amp; undoing the magnetic snaps with ease as I begin to shrug my wings repeatedly in order to wiggle them out of the slips that make up the false trench coat.

"Oh my, what a clever disguise for your wings &amp; tail! What is that thing on the end of your tail dear?" Sollana asks- immediately noticing my tailblade's sheath- a gleeful smile on the old woman's face as she looks me over, Aindreas's eyes widening in surprise.

"It is a tailblade sheath, ma'am. I put it on earlier so Orianna could play with my tail safely. Here, I'll take it off to show you after I get off my jacket," I answer as I take off my gloves- putting them in my hip pouch with my comm. unit- &amp; jacket. Reaching my tail up towards my hands, I quickly remove my tailblade's sheath &amp; put it with my gloves. Sollana stands from her seat- with some help from both Carolyn &amp; Aindreas- and walks towards me, walking around me to get a good look at me, I moving my arms &amp; tail around while flexing my fingers a little to show off the sharp natural blades attatched to them.

"My, aren't you a force to be reckoned with? She must be one you MAKE SURE you keep happy, ey Jak?" Aindreas chuckles teasingly at both Jak &amp; I, a smile on his face as he looks at the now seated Jak. Jak's eyes widen before he smiles at what Aindreas said, chuckling lightly.

"Yeah, you see those little spikes on her elbows? Well, there's more on the back of her neck &amp; on the backs of her heels, &amp; you can see the ones on her wings, tail, &amp; head. I swear I can barely get close to her without the chance of being cut or stabbed, not to mention her claws," Jak jokes back at him, I shaking my head in amused disbelief at the two, who seemed to be deeming eachother enemies just seconds before. Aindreas laughs hard, going far enouh to slam his hand on the table.

"You have claws dear? Let me see," Sollana says softly, an excited &amp; curious look on her face, obviously having not seen my claws yet. Obligingly, I set my hand in hers &amp; extend a claw on each finger until all five are in full view, Carolyn even observing them from her seat, though she isn't sitting, leaning over the corner of the table to get a good look.

"Amazing, their even serrated, in two different direction no less!" Carolyn says ecstatically before asking; "what are your teeth like if you don't mind me asking?"

"Uh, well, most of my teeth are like other Dracons', but the ones closest to the back are flatter than a Dracon's should be, so I guess they are a bit more human-like than Dracon," I answer, unsure of how I should word my reply properly. Both Sollana &amp; Carolyn begin to nod, their eyes travelling from my face to my neck, Sollana going far enough to walk around me &amp; move my hair, so she could see my neck spikes.

"My word, Jak wasn't joking, those ARE sharp looking. There are three of them, all in descending length as it goes down your neck. You are truely a magnificent... would it be rude to say creature?" Sollana asks, concerned whether or not it would be bad manners or politically incorrect to say what she was starting to.

"No, I don't find it rude at all. I'm not a full blood Dracon or a full blood human, to be honest I wouldn't know what to say in that scenario either," I respond with a kind smile, trying to think of ways to say what Sollana had wanted to without using her choice of words, only to come up blank just as she did.

"Well, that is a predicament. I guess I could have said woman, silly me!" Sollana laughs, just now realizing something she could have said instead of 'creature'. I can't help but laugh along with her, feeling dumb in account that I couldn't think of that simple &amp; obvious word myself.

"Hey Mel, Torn wants us to get back to patrol," Jak says, a little disappointment in his voice, holding his communicator in his hand, a message on the screen. Feeling a little disappointed myself at having to leave my newly discovered family members.

"Well, I guess I will see you all around. Make sure to call me if you want to come visit &amp; see true Dracons," I say with a smile, taking out my comm. unit &amp; scrolling through it until I see my own number, having Jak help me with translating it over to his writing system, he too giving them his number. Everyone stands, saying to each other goodbye, even little Orianna coming into the room, waddling over &amp; hugging my legs as I put on my jacket. Saying our final goodbyes after I put back on my false trench coat, gloves &amp; hood, Carolyn gives me a quick hug, her explaination being that we are now sisters- even if only half- &amp; that I deserved the hug she is giving me. Returning the hug, I have Jak lead me back to the Hellcat cruiser after we part, everyone waiving us goodbye as we lift off &amp; leave, headed back for our patrol route.

"_I liked that family a lot. I hope Sollana gets to see mom &amp; dad &amp; Sparx... maybe even Aindreas, if he wants_," I think to myself with a smile on my face as we approach our ordered path.

"I figured out what Carolyn &amp; Aindreas do for work... They both work at the Palace as bodyguards for the Council Members. Who would have thought that for Carolyn, huh?" Jak asks pleasantly, having apparently made a happy conversation with Aindreas while Sollana, Carolyn, &amp; I were talking to eachother.

"Really? Huh. I guess we're going to have to make more visits to the Palace then if we want to see them more often," I say, looking at Jak from underneath my hood, a smile on my face he couldn't see, seeing a peaceful smile on his own, nodding in agreement to my suggestion of visiting them when they're on break or something to that effect. Turning my attention back to the world outside the Hellcat cruiser, I wonder how much more human family I have through my half-sister Carolyn.

"Hey, would you like it if they came to your birthday, since we're going to the Naughty Ottsel for it?" Jak asks a few minutes later, turning his head to me for a little bit, a curious &amp; sincere look on his face.

"Yeah, that would be nice... but only if they want to, because I'm pretty sure the first half of it will be at my house, you know how Cynder is," I reply, thinking about how my mother will probably demand that I spend at least an hour &amp; a half with family on my birthday. Jak shakes his head with an amused look on his face, silently agreeing with my prediction &amp; terms.

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I've been very busy lately, &amp; I've been in a weird funk lately (can't sleep well, sick at random times throughout the day, ect.). Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I honestly thought it was a bit boring... I guess it was a bit more about what someone new to a family might experience, twisted so it would fit with my story? I honestly winged that chapter, though I guess I did introduce some key things about my newest characters... again, I only guess. Same challenge as with last chapter, the first person to answer with the two correct places that I had in my last chapter that are only mentioned ONCE in the entire "The Legend of Spyro" game series to ONE specific character will get mentioned at the beginning of my next chapter! Best wishes, &amp; again I am so sorry for being so late in my posting, this is tigerdj98 signing off until next chapter!


	56. Discussing Family

**Author's Note:** Hello all my readers &amp; welcome to another chapter of this here story! Now, I would appologize for not posting a new chapter in a long while, but in defense, school just started two weeks ago &amp; I've had not time at all to work on this chapter- that &amp; I was in this month-long funk that made me not want to do anything that had to do with this story. Maybe I'm just losing my motivation? I have no idea to be true, either that or I've been too absorbed by Skyrim (I restarted my game recently since I forgot how to play after years of not playing it, then got addicted) too much to think of anything else... I don't know which is more. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Stuff I own:** My OCs, Meldalvyna's house in the woods, &amp; plot idea... **Stuff I don't own:** All Jak and Daxter &amp; Spyro characters, the places these characters originally live in, &amp; the music used in any &amp; all chapters they appear in.

**Jak's POV**

Rushing from the doors of the Freedom League &amp; into the back of the air-tran, pulling Meldalvyna with me into the warm vehicle &amp; out of the cold air. Agitatingly slow, the back hatch sluggishly rises as the transport zoomer lifts off as Meldalvyna &amp; I huddle together on one of the metal benches.

"Hey Carl, hey Luke," Meldalvyna greets the two pilots with a little shiver in her voice as she slowly pulls away from me as the warmth returns to her body, pulling down her hood in the process.

"Hey Mel," Luke returns, a happy tone to his voice as he glances back for a second, a smile on his face- from what I could see of it anyhow- confirming the sound to his voice.

"How was patrol today?" Carl asks, glancing back towards us for a second once Luke returns his attention to driving the air-tran.

"Boring as usual, well, besides one interesting thing that happened. I wonder when Torn's gonna have me start what he had Jak here recruit me for..." Meldalvyna answers, drifting off into her thoughts towards the end, a thoughtful frown- though not in any way angry- on her face.

"What happened?" Luke asks, this time keeping his attention towards the front of the transport zoomer. Meldalvyna jumps a little, Luke's question having distracted her from her thoughts.

"Well, the short of it is that I met my human half-sister &amp; her family, &amp; she &amp; her mother want to meet my family," Meldalvyna replies quickly, shaking off the question like it was nothing.

"You have a human half-sister?!" Luke shouts out in surprise, the zoomer swerving a little as Luke whips around, ripping off his helmet, a disbelieving look on his face as he stares down Meldalvyna.

"Yes, I do, &amp; that's all I'm going to say about it if you two are going to act like that," Meldalvyna growls out, her wings &amp; tail flinging upwards into angry arcs, a slight snarl on her face, scolding the pilot for his outburst, "seriously, calm down, you could have hurt someone!"

Luke jumps a little, realization spreading in his eyes as an embarassed blush spreads across his face, immediately turning back around &amp; regaining the control of his side of the air-tran. Meldalvyna relaxes from her tense position, leaning against me as she exhales a sigh.

"Hey Meldalvyna, if you don't mind me asking, what DID Torn originally have Jak get you into the Freedom League for?" Carl asks gently, not wanting to annoy Meldalvyna like Luke had just seconds ago.

"Well, Jak told me that Torn originally wanted me to train the new recruits in hand-to-hand combat, but before that I guess I need to get some time in with the League first," Meldalvyna replies with a smile on her face as she looks at the back of Carl's head, a pleasant tone to her voice.

"Really? Wow... but how did he know to recruit you to teach the rookies to fight?" Carl questions with an interested &amp; curious tone to his voice, glancing back at us for a split second.

"Well, Daxter had taken a video of me- &amp; later Jak- fighting a large group of Metalheads on one of the times we were still first seeing eachother &amp; showed it to Torn- the times we spent sitting across from eachother, not dating each other- without my knowing of it until Jak actually told me that Torn wanted me in the Freedom League," Meldalvyna explains in a single breath, answering Carl's question as quickly as possible, taking a deep- yet silent- breath at the end.

"So he saw a video of you &amp; Jak fighting a group of Metalheads together, &amp; had to have you join... you must be one hell of a fighter," Luke comments with a laugh, finally coming out of his puny period of silence.

"You bet she is... I'm scared for the rookies now that I think about it. They're going to have one hard-ass time trying to keep up with her. But remember Mel, you can't teach them all of your moves," I say, tired of just sitting out of the conversation as I was.

"Well duh, I know they don't have wings or a tail, I'm just going to teach them what I learned from my bipedal friends back on the dracon side of the UniPortal," Meldalvyna says with a smirk &amp; an equally smug tone.

"**So she learned how to fight on two legs from her friends, &amp; on four legs from her parents or teachers**," Dark comments quietly in the back of my mind, an almost curious, laughing tone to his voice.

"_Well of course. Now that I think about it, it's likely that the history of dracon society made the young have to learn how to fight at a young age, considerring what Cynder told us about her &amp; Spyro's young life_," Light adds to Dark's statement, thinking about all of what Meldalvyna's family has told us &amp; what we're heard from Meldalyvna herself.

"Has- uh, Hunter, I think it was- taught you anything, in fighting anyway?" Carl asks as I feel the transport zoomer begin to slow down, meaning we are about to land at Meldalvyna's &amp; my drop-off point.

"Yeah. Well, he mostly taught me some short-bladed weapon techniques, as well as some archery, but that's about it for specific things," Meldalvyna answers with a smile as the vehicle begins to descend.

"Archery? So you can use a bow... Maybe you can teach the rookies some basic survival skills also," Luke suggests just as we land, the rear door already beginning to open.

"I'll think about it, it sounds like a good idea," Meldalvyna says with a smile as she stands, looking out the door towards her house as the hatch slowly lowers to the ground.

"Alright, see you all tomorrow... Hopefully Hunter gets back before schedule, am I right?" Carl calls out as we exit the air-tran, a happy yet anxious tone to his voice, making it obvious that he was worried about the upcoming plans that may or may not fall into work as well.

"Right! See you later," I call in return as we start to walk towards Meldalvyna's house, a smile on my face as we leave, though in my mind I am now starting to worry about the forthcoming events as well. Entering the house just behind Meldalvyna, the smell of cooking food hits my nose, signaling that Spyro, Cynder, &amp; Sparx have gotten back from their separate trips hunting.

"Meldalvyna, Jak! You're back from work just on time!" Spyro calls happily, walking out from around the corner of the kitchen that hides the oven with a smile as Meldalvyna &amp; I make our way to the red couch that only Meldalvyna- &amp; now I- sit on.

"It's time to eat already? Well anyways, I have some news for you &amp; mom during dinner, something that I learned today," Meldalvyna says as she stands back up- just having sat down on the couch- &amp; walks toward the stairs with me following, I figuring the reason being to change into something comfier.

"Oh, okay... Tell Mr. Torn that Cynder &amp; I say thank you for the devices he gave us tomorrow, will you?" Spyro asks as Meldalvyna begins to go up the stairs, making her stop in her tracks, though not without a smile on her face, I almost running straight into her.

"Of course! I'll also teach you how to use the comm. units after dinner," Meldalvyna says as she again begins her climb up the stairs, this time not looking like she is going to stop. Following her up the stairs, she &amp; I get to the top of the stairs &amp; are about to walk into our separate rooms when both she &amp; I hear Sparx's room door open. Turning around, I barely have enough time to get out of the way as Sparx flies past straight towards Meldalvyna.

"Hey Uncle Sparx! What's with the rush?" Meldalyvna asks with an amused laugh as the dragonfly comes to a near immediate halt just infront of her.

"What, I can't be happy to see my double step niece &amp; her boyfriend? Anyhow, how come I didn't get one of them thingies that you got your mom &amp; Spyro?" Sparx asks, a pitiful &amp; exaggerated frown on his face as he changes the subject.

"I don't know why, that'd be a question to ask Torn the next time he comes here," Meldalvyna answers with a smug smirk on her face as she continues past Sparx &amp; into her room, closing the door behind her. Turning to me, Sparx looks to me for an answer, to which I can only shrug, giving him the same answer as I too walk towards my borrowed room, leaving the dragonfly alone in the hall. Quickly stripping myself of my work clothes into something a bit more comfy. Walking back out of the room about a minute later, I almost walk into Meldalvyna as she exits her room. Opening my mouth to apologize, I stop dead in my tracks when I see what she is wearing.

"What?" Meldalvyna asks with a smile on her face, looking at me with a single raised eyebrow as I look her over. I can't help but smile as the memory of our first meeting comes to mind as I look over the familiar metal outfit Meldalvyna has on.

"Nothing... You look good, it's been a while since I've seen you in that outfit," I answer, noticing the intricate dark swirls &amp; other designs set into the bright silver metal piece on her chest. Meldalvyna clears her throat, making me realize exactly where I was staring, my face reddening as I begin to apologize profusely while we walk down stairs to freshen up before dinner.

**Meldalvyna's POV**

Laughing at Jak's slowly reddening &amp; embarassed expression while apologizing to me for staring at my chest for so long (though I did know he was looking at the designs, I just decided to give him a hard time) as we walk down stairs, I catch sight of my mother fiddling with one of the communicators at the dinner table as Jak &amp; I pass behind her &amp; into the hall that contains the bathroom, door to the basement/freezer, parent's bedroom, &amp; guest bedroom. Smiling as Jak &amp; I enter the bathroom together to wash our hands &amp; faces, Jak quirks his eyebrow at me in the mirror at seeing the expression on my face.

"I saw my mom playing with a comm. at the table. I hope they- especially Cynder- take the news about Carolyn &amp; her family lightly," I say softly as I wash my hands, rubbing the bar of soap against the palms of my hands before handing it over to Jak.

"I'm sure it will be okay. Cynder might be a little surprised at first, but knowing Spyro, he'll not only convince her that it's okay, but will probably want to meet your human relatives," Jak says with a smile as he too scrubs his hands with the bar of soap, I watching deep in thought &amp; uncertainty as the soap suds up on his hands, only to be rinsed away a few seconds later, I mindlessly following suit.

"_**I sure hope he will, I don't want to let Sollana &amp; Carolyn down**_," I think to myself as I lean over the sink to wet my face, Jak holding my hair out of the running water's reach. Taking the soap in one hand &amp; wetting the bar of light clenser with the other, I rub the soap between my hands before handing it to Jak &amp; slathering the suds over the scales that make up the skin of my face. Rinsing my face quickly so I don't end up getting soap in my eyes, I blindly search for the small towel I use to dry my hands &amp; face, Jak kindly handing it to me. Drying off my face &amp; opening my eyes to see Jak watching me with a ghost of a grin on his face in the mirror.

"What's that look for... were you just checking out my ass?" I say with a teasing smirk, whipping around to face him &amp; pointing at him accusingly, trying to appear at least slightly serious.

"No," Jak replies with a laugh, his grin now a devilish smirk, "&amp; so what if I was?"

Feeling his arm wrap around my side, I smirk as I lean into the embrace, wrapping my tail around one of his legs, that signature smirk of his growing even more. Jak leans forward &amp; plants a passionate kiss, which I return for a second or two before I have to forcefully keep my claws sheathed so I don't accidentaly tear up Jak's arm. After a few seconds, Jak suddenly pulls away, a forced smile on his face while his scent screams annoyance. I look at him with a quirked eyebrow, silently asking him what's wrong while secretely hoping it isn't my fault.

"It's getting harder to hold them back," Jak explains quickly with a grunt, a small frown appearing on his face as he leans over the sink, turns on the water, &amp; splashes his face.

"_**So it wasn't my fault, well it was a little. His Eco alters try to butt-in all the time... I wonder what would have happened if Jak hadn't stopped himself when he had**_," I think to myself curiously as Jak grabs the soap &amp; begins rubbing the bar between his hands before putting it back &amp; scrubs the suds onto his face. Once he rinses his face, I return his help from earlier &amp; hand him the towel I had used about a minute ago.

"Hold them back from what, may I ask?" I question quietly, jumping a little when I catch a strange, one-eyed look from Jak as he dries his face &amp; hands that clearly stated he doesn't want to talk about it.

"From taking control all of a sudden &amp; doing... things," Jak answers, his last word barely above a whisper, a small frown flashing across his features for less than a second before becoming a forced smile, "we should probably get out there, don't want to keep them waiting for two long."

"That &amp; they'll get suspicious of what we could be doing in here," I add, deciding to not give the answer Jak had given me any more questioning- though I could guess what it could be- &amp; leave it as it stands, or at least until later. Jak nods, &amp; I open the door, walking out into the hallway as Jak closes the room behind us, following me into the kitchen, grabbing our plates from my stepfather before sitting down at the table &amp; beginning to eat, the meal going in near silence.

"So, you told Spyro you had a few things to tell us?" Cynder asks once all the plates are cleared from the table, eyeing Jak, a comm. unit sitting just within her reach on the table, &amp; me all at the same time.

"Well, today at work Jak &amp; I met up with one of Jak's old friends. His name's Vin, &amp; he tested me to see how much of me is dracon &amp; how much of me is human. Well, turns out I'm just over half dracon. Other than that, it turns out that I have a human half-sister, &amp; she has a husband, &amp; a daughter," I answer in one breath, not really wanting to talk about the subject at hand right now. My mother, stepfather, &amp; double stepuncle all flinch a little &amp; their eyes widen as the information sets in, the room becoming eerily silent.

"Human family? Did you meet them?" Spyro asks, a slightly worried gleam in his eyes, but a curious smile reigning over his bright purple muzzle. Jak &amp; I look at each other &amp; between the three others at the table.

"Yes, actually. We met my half-sister, her daughter, her husband, &amp; her mother. My half-sister's name is Carolyn, her daughter's is Orianna, her husband's is Aindreas, &amp; her mother's is Sollana. They- as well as Jak &amp; I- were wondering if you two would like to meet them," I reply slowly, watching my mother's &amp; stepfather's expressions closely, only slightly watching Sparx's expression.

"Also, Carolyn &amp; Sollana loved the old stories of dracons, which they thought were fairytales until today. The dracon stories were Sollana's favorite, &amp; she was a mythology major &amp; teacher when she was younger. She really wants to meet you, &amp; she- &amp; Carolyn- want to learn about dracon history," Jak adds after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. Spyro &amp; Cynder look between each other, considerring our case, trying to decide what to do.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think we should meet them," Sparx says from his seat, shrugging his little dragonfly shoulders, looking at each of us separately, giving his opinion on the situation. My mom &amp; stepdad glance at everyone at once, then only between themselves, discussing it with their eyes &amp; body language. Sampling the air, I try to figure out what they feel about my newly discovered human family through their scents but can't pick out theirs from everyone elses.

"We should at least meet them &amp; if they're as interested in our history as Jak says, we might as well let them in on it," Spyro says finally with a hopeful smile on his face towards all of us, though most likely aimed at Cynder.

"_**Okay, that's two... please, let her say yes**_," I think to myself hopefully, watching my mother's facial expression closely for any change for the negative, still trying &amp; failing to separate her scent from the soup of everyone elses in the air.

"Alright, we will meet them," Cynder says finally, confirming my human family's visit &amp; settling the issue for the rest of the family, "when is the earliest that they can make arrangements to meet with us?"

"I'll contact them tomorrow &amp; ask," I answer in return with a happy, relieved smile on my face, "but for now, I think I should teach you how to use your comm. units."

With a sudden burst of eagerness, my mother &amp; stepfather reach out &amp; snatch a comm. unit from the table, holding the extra-large versions of the devices between their paws, sitting on their hind legs, pressing their tails against the ground to keep themselves upright. Jak chuckles a little at their readiness to master the machines in their clasped in their claws, &amp; I can't help chuckling right along with him. With an amused smile, I stand from my seat &amp; walk around the table so that I am between my parents.

"Hey Mel, you're forgetting something," Jak says, pulling his communicator out of his pack, a smug smirk on his face once I realize that I had left my comm. upstairs in my room. Letting out an annoyed groan, I rush up the stairs to retrieve the comm. unit from my room before rushing back down stairs. Passing by Jak, I smack him lightly with my wing as I walk by, he laughing at me in a way that said 'hey, what's that for'?

"That's for letting me forget the thing upstairs," I say with an evil grin, responding to the questioning, yet amused, laugh Jak had given me. Shaking his head at me, Jak stands from his seat &amp; follows me to the position I had been before he had reminded me of my missing communication device.

"Okay, so here we go I guess. See this button here? This turns on the comm., &amp; you need to hold it down until the light comes on. To turn it off, you hold the button down until the screen goes black," I say, beginning my lesson on communicators, pointing out the small button on the side of the device to my parents, showing the little trigger to each parent one at a time. From there, I show each one how to control the comm. unit, &amp; then how to navigate its many menues, Jak helping me by showing how to do what I was doing to the opposite parent.

"This isn't too hard, all it is is reading &amp; knowing what is in each catagory... where are the contacts, &amp; how do I go back to the main menu again?" I hear Spyro ask Jak as I show Cynder how to put my communicator's number into her comm. unit. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Jak point out the different on-screen buttons to my stepfather &amp; can't help the smile from sliding onto my face.

"_**I have a feeling things are going to turn out just fine... He's so good with everything, it won't matter what trouble we get into here**_," I think to myself with a pleasant smile.

**Author's Note:** Well, there we go, chapter 56 is said &amp; done! I hope you all liked it, &amp; I know it was a bit of a boring chapter, but hey, at least it's here, right? Anyhow, my earlier schedule for chapter posting will obviously have to change from its "2-times-a-month" to something new due to school being back in session. I'm in a AP Literature class for Pete's sake, I have enough writing to do every day as it is! Hopefully, I will get the next chapter out sometime next month, since school is being such a large hinderance to my schedule. Anyway, here you all go, chapter 56, I hope you all enjoyed, this is tigerdj98 signing off until chapter 57 comes out, hopefully soon!


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